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The Curse of the Wer.. - Site de Thomas - Free

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FIG. 14 Publicity poster<br />

for <strong>The</strong> Howling (1980).<br />

WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES<br />

staying on <strong>the</strong> path cleared for <strong>the</strong>m by a patriarchal culture, away from<br />

<strong>the</strong> sensuous temptations <strong>of</strong> wolves and forests. 8 As Zipes suggests, if<br />

Perrault’s version was still a little too ‘French’ in its sensuality, <strong>the</strong><br />

more puritanical version by <strong>the</strong> Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Grimm, published in 1812,<br />

established <strong>the</strong> moral, didactic tone which has characterized traditional<br />

interpretations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> story ever since. In <strong>the</strong> Grimms’ version, Little<br />

Red Riding Hood is instructed by her mo<strong>the</strong>r not to leave <strong>the</strong> path, so<br />

that ‘<strong>the</strong> conflict between freedom/wil<strong>de</strong>rness/nature on <strong>the</strong> one hand<br />

versus school/straight path/or<strong>de</strong>r on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r is set up very early in<br />

<strong>the</strong> narrative to illustrate a socio-political situation.’ 9<br />

For those women afflicted by lycanthropy who have thoroughly<br />

internalized <strong>the</strong> lessons <strong>of</strong> Little Red Riding Hood, <strong>the</strong> only option<br />

seems to have been martyrdom and self-<strong>de</strong>nial, as in Quinn’s ‘<strong>The</strong><br />

Phantom Farmhouse’ (1923), in which a beautiful young werewolf begs<br />

117

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