Who was the fairy tales' target audience? James Thurber wrote for the New Yorker during from the 1920s to the 1950s where he not only contributed written pieces but cartoons as well. Thurber's target audience would have been adults most specifically in the upper class or upper middle class since the lower classes probably wouldn't have been able to afford the publication.
What's the fairy tale say in regard to the culture of the time? The version was written in 1940 before the United States entered WWII. The mood in America would have been somber because Americans knew about the war going on in Europe and Asia and would have been fearful of entering into another "Great War" as had occurred just two decades prior. Thurber gives the basic details to a story that Americans would be able to recognize. But instead of using the "traditional" route he changed it up by making it more entertaining. Instead of going through the long ordeal of being eaten, Thurber has Little Red Riding Hood shoot the wolf with an automatic. Clearly not a story meant for children.
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Since I looked at Thurber's version too, I was interested in reading your post. I definitely agree that the tale is geared towards an adult audience, but I think it is interesting that you brought the class issue up as well- I didn't think of that!
ReplyDeleteSince Little Red shoots the wolf with an automatic, I think that the story may be aimed toward teens or young adults that were being drafted for the war and given a gun to fight with. This may represent a lot more things then what we may think at first...
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