Among my collection of folk tales, legends, myths and fables is James Finn Garner’s Politically Correct Bedtime Stories (1994) which offers humorous insights on society’s negotiating of the ‘tightrope walk’ of what some will label as ‘political correctness’. As a ‘vertically challenged’ person, I needed my library chair, which doubles-up as a ladder, to get the slim volume from the top shelf of my IKEA Billy book-case. I must confess having a good laugh at the author’s spin on familiar fables, while holding firmly to the need to expunge our vocabulary and mind of stereotyping words and phrases with a ‘zero tolerance’ to behaviour that demeans people.

One does not need expertise on fables to sense much more, from the volume, beyond revising familiar fables or taking a swipe at ‘political correctness. Consider the following ‘teaser’ re: Garner’s revisit of the familiar ‘Little Red Riding Hood’:

‘There once was a young person named Red Riding Hood who lived with her mother on the edge of a large wood. One day her mother asked  her to take a basket of fresh fruit and mineral water to her grandmother’s house–not because this was woman’s work, mind you, but because  the deed was generous and helped engender a feeling of community. Furthermore, her grandmother was not sick, but rather was in full  physical and mental health and was fully capable of taking care of herself as a mature adult.’  [1]

Garner’s ‘bedtime’ retelling would not only keep you up (reading) to the last story: it has the potential to cause the reader to roll off their bed. Moreover, some of the re-writing continue to offer ‘spot-on’ insights on the various political masquerades/circuses happening around us. If you are able to locate a copy of the book, check out Garner’s retelling of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’. here is a taster:

“Word had spread about the Emperor’s new clothes that only enlightened people with healthy life styles could see, and everyone was determined to be more right-minded than his or her neighbour.” [7]

And then that one dissenting voice of the youngest in a curious crowd (more concerned with their selfies on the Royal walk-about) bursting out: “The emperor is naked!” Garner’s spin on the response is just brilliant: in the hush and total silence, following that declaration, the circus was rescued by a quick-thinking person who shouted out in response: “No, he isn’t. The emperor is merely endorsing a clothing-optional life style!”[8]

But, back to another version of  ‘Riding Hood’. Consider the French version of Han Xu’s Blind Little Red Riding Hood (2016), translated by Laurana Serres-Giardi  into French as Le petit chaperon rouge qui n’y voit rien (2018). This Little Red Riding Hood, journeying through the forest to reach her grandmother’s house, is blind. On the way she meets many animals including one whom she asks: “are you the Big Bad Wolf?” (BBW). “No, I am a  good dog”, came back the reply, trying to clumsily bark. She then proceeds to feel the BBW’s ears and sharp teeth and smell its scent. The conversation then went like this:

“Oh! why do you have such big ears?”  [“To hear clearly” (BBW’s  response)]; “and why do you have such sharp teeth?” [“To chew faster” (BBW’s response)]; “but why do you smell so bad?” [“Uh to repel the big bad wolf if ever he came” (BBW’s response)]

Not scared but trusting, she asked BBW: “I go to my grandmother on the other side of the forest. But I can’t see anything can you take me to her house?” BBW delightfully agreed, salivating at the thought of eating them both. Han Xu then offers an ingenious ‘take’ on how during the journey Blind Little Riding Hood got the BBW to help her gather flowers for her grandmother (even giving BBW one for helping). However, BBW’s explosion point came when she got him to picked apples and offered him one at which point BBW declared his meat-eating obsession:

“I only like meat you understand? Meat. And I can’t wait another second…so now that’s enough, I’m gonna eat you..”

But his lunge at her took him into an abandoned well. Instead of running away Blind Little Red Riding Hood helped him out of the pit and bandaged his wounds using a piece of her own scarf. Overtaken by guilt and kindness, the BBW found some conscience: “I still have to accompany her to her grandmother’s house, as I promised”. And so he did and turning around by the door without entering. Once inside her grandmother’s house:, Blind Little Red Riding Hood smiled mischievously thinking out aloud: “everyone is exaggerating, the forest is only that terrible!”

While you the readers make your own deductions and connections, I am looking forward to more such ‘bedtime stories’ as I try to make sense of the political and economic turmoil around me and hoping in spite of the evidence before and around me.

caribleaper, (April 7, 2023)