Language and Gender in the Fairy Tale Tradition

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction: Exploring Gender Issues in Fairy Tales

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 1-13

3. Words, Gender and Power

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 14-32

4. The Representation of Social Practice

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 33-58

5. Ideology and the Clause: the System of Transitivity

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 59-111

6. Gender and the Ideological Constitution of Subjects

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 112-146

7. Intertextuality, Ideology and the Tendencies of Change

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 147-195

8. Conclusions

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 196-199

9. Afterword: Positioning Practices and the Process of Identification of the Reader

   • Alessandra Levorato

   Pages 200-203

10. Back Matter

    Pages 205-230

    PDF

Much research has been done on the social messages conveyed to children reading or listening to fairy tales. In this highly original study, the emphasis shifts from content to linguistic expression. The language and linguistic organization of a dozen versions, old and new, of the Little Red Riding Hood story are analyzed using a variety of theoretical approaches, including Critical Discourse Analysis, Conversational Analysis, Functional Grammar and Critical Stylistics, to uncover the contribution of fairy tales to the discourse of gender relations over time.

• gender
• grammar
• language
• literary diction

'Alessandra Levorato's original linguistic approach to Little Red Riding Hood reveals how important it is to examine the discursive practices of fairy tales in general. Her thoughtful and elaborate use of linguistic theory and quantitative analysis to study the significance of word choice and characterization in different versions of Little Red Riding Hood from the seventeenth century to the present enables her to uncover the sexist agenda of the early tales and the critique of this agenda by the more contemporary tales. Dr. Levorato's unique approach has major implications for the study of fairy tales, for she clearly demonstrates how linguistics and ideology are part of the process of composing these tales and have a major impact on the way readers view gender roles and their own particular roles within their own social context. Her work is a major contribution toward understanding the inner workings of fairy tales.' - Professor Jack Zipes, University of Minnesota, USA

'Overall, the book provides a valuable model for using linguistic analysis to illuminate ideological aspects of fairly tales...her [Levorato] analysis draws out the linguistic shape of gender ideology in fairy tale and remidns us of the socializing role that these tales play.' - Valerie Farnsworth, Gender and Education

ALESSANDRA LEVORATO teaches at the University of Florence, Italy.

Policies and ethics