Journals / Folklor/Edebiyat / 2026 / Cilt: 31 Sayı: 122

From Fairytale to Cinema: Subject and Location in Little Red Riding Hood and Hard Candy

Masaldan Sinemaya: Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız ve Hard Candy’de Özne ve Konum

Meltem Güler(AKDENİZ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-6833-286X
Gülis Kurtuluş(AKDENİZ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-4028-9473
Pages
567–592
Publication Date
2025-05-01
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

As a result of this study, which reads the ideological contexts of fairy tales as manifestations of the collective unconscious, it has been determined that the endless repetition of Little Red Riding Hood, which does not stop writing itself with new narratives, is equivalent to what is called the return of the repressed by becoming a social symptom.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Fairy tales arose from the desire to explain the world and convey moral lessons, and were used to encourage members of a culture to follow certain paths, to conform to social roles, and to uphold the norm.
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Key Findings & Data:The fixation of cultural female identity in a particular rhetorical position in these ‘young girl’ tales, based on the dominance of patriarchal societies, has been subject to criticism in the 20th century.
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Conclusion & Impact:As a result of this study, which reads the ideological contexts of fairy tales as manifestations of the collective unconscious, it has been determined that the endless repetition of Little Red Riding Hood, which does not stop writing itself with new narratives, is equivalent to what is called the return of the repressed by becoming a social symptom.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2005 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız masalı · Hard Candy filmi · psikanaliz

Abstract

Fairy tales arose from the desire to explain the world and convey moral lessons, and were used to encourage members of a culture to follow certain paths, to conform to social roles, and to uphold the norm. This is most often seen in growing-up stories written to provide wisdom and guidance to the younger generation. The fixation of cultural female identity in a particular rhetorical position in these ‘young girl’ tales, based on the dominance of patriarchal societies, has been subject to criticism in the 20th century. One of these, is the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. This tale has long been recognised as a parable of rape in which Little Red Riding Hood is held responsible for her own sacrifice. The reading of Little Red Riding Hood as a ‘voluntary victim’ dates back to Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, the literary versions of the tale. Since the 1970s, many feminist writers have embraced the retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and attempted to rescue it from patriarchal cultural messages that deny the importance of the female quest. Thus, literary and cinematic discourse on Little Red Riding Hood has rewritten her fate. David Slade’s 2005 film Hard Candy introduced the character of Hayley as the ultimate avenger of all the red riding hoods sacrificed for centuries. Although critics and scholars immediately recognise the visual references between Little Red Riding Hood and Hard Candy, they have neglected to look beyond this. In this article, drawing on psychoanalytic theory, Hard Candy, which reverses the patriarchal narrative of the classic fairy tale, is read as a feminist rewriting; it is argued that fairy tales are also linked to the culture that produces, rewrites or adapts them, reflecting the particular set of values and norms of a given period and culture. It has been determined that the film conveys new messages to break the accepted orthodoxies about paedophilia and subverts the subject positions in the narrative structure of the classic fairy tale for the rewriting of female identity. As a result of this study, which reads the ideological contexts of fairy tales as manifestations of the collective unconscious, it has been determined that the endless repetition of Little Red Riding Hood, which does not stop writing itself with new narratives, is equivalent to what is called the return of the repressed by becoming a social symptom.

Özet

Masallar, dünyayı açıklama ve ahlâkî dersler aktarma isteğinden doğmuş, kültür üyelerini belirli yolları izlemeye, toplumsal rollere uymaya, normu sürdürmeye teşvik için kullanılmıştır. Bu daha çok, genç nesillere bilgelik ve rehberlik sağlamak için yazılmış büyüme hikâyelerinde görülür. Ataerkil toplumların egemenliğine dayanan bu ‘genç kız’ masallarında kültürel kadın kimliğinin belirli retorik bir konuma sabitlenmesi, 20. yüzyılda eleştirilere maruz kalmıştır. Bunlardan biri, Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız masalıdır. Bu masal, uzun zamandır Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız’ın kendi kurban edilmesinden sorumlu tutulduğu bir tecavüz benzetmesi olarak kabul edilmiştir. Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız’ın ‘gönüllü kurban’ olarak okunması, masalın edebî versiyonları olan Charles Perrault’a ve Grimm Kardeşler’e dayanır. 1970’lerden itibaren birçok feminist yazar tarafından sahiplenilen Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız yeniden anlatılmış ve kadın arayışının önemini reddeden ataerkil kültürel mesajlardan kurtarılmaya çalışılmıştır. Böylece Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız hakkındaki edebî ve sinemasal söylem, onun kaderini yeniden yazmıştır. David Slade’in 2005 yapımı Hard Candy filmi, asırlardır kurban edilen tüm kırmızı başlıklı kızların nihai intikamcısı olarak Hayley karakterini sahneye çıkarmıştır. Eleştirmenler ve akademisyenler, Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız ile Hard Candy arasındaki görsel göndermeleri hemen fark etseler de bunun ötesine bakmayı ihmal etmişlerdir. Bu makalede, psikanalitik kuramdan yola çıkarak, klasik masalın patriyarkal anlatısını tersine çeviren Hard Candy, feminist bir yeniden yazım olarak okunmuş; masalların, onları üreten, yeniden yazan veya uyarlayan kültürle de bağlantılı olduğu, belirli dönemin ve kültürün belirli değerler ve normlar kümesini yansıttığı ortaya konulmuştur. Filmin pedofili hakkında kabul görmüş ortodoksileri kırmaya yönelik yeni mesajlar ilettiği ve kadın kimliğinin yeniden yazımı için klasik masalın anlatı yapısındaki özne konumlarını altüst ettiği belirlenmiştir. Masalların ideolojik bağlamlarını kolektif bilinçdışının tezahürleri olarak okuyan bu çalışma sonucunda, yeni anlatılarla Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız’ın kendini yazmayı bırakmayan, bitmeyen tekrarının, toplumsal bir semptom haline gelerek bastırılmışın geri dönüşü denilen şeye eşdeğer olduğu saptanmıştır.

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Cite This Article

Güler, M., Kurtuluş, G. (2025). From Fairytale to Cinema: Subject and Location in Little Red Riding Hood and Hard Candy. Folklor/Edebiyat, Cilt: 31 Sayı: 122, 567–592. https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.3874

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