| dc.description.abstract | This article presents
a comparative reading of two folktales that are also characterised as children’s stories (one from
Venda folklore and the other a popular European narrative) in order to explore a number of
similarities between these stories. These similarities include the grotesque activity of eating
human flesh, the way that overly trusting people are tricked by means of a masquerade and
other ‘unethical’ and ‘immoral’ activities that occur in both narratives. In The Greedy Hippo
(Hippopotamus throws his weight around), the monster for instance mimics the voice of a little
boy in order to trick his sister and gain access to the children’s hut, whilst in Little Red Riding
Hood the wolf tricks the grandmother in the same way to gain access to her house, in order
to later trick Red Riding Hood. Furthermore, in both stories, the little girls (as well as the
grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood) are swallowed by vicious wild animals (either a
hippopotamus or a wolf). As is often the case in fairy tales; however, the victims are saved or
escape and live happily ever after. In this article, I argue that, although it seems absurd for
children’s stories to deal with the grotesque, the presence of the grotesque actually serves an
elevating purpose. I conclude that, because of the shock value of the grotesque, these stories
not only intrigue children emotionally, but that the shocking quality of the grotesque also
serves as a source of fascination for them. Therefore, the warning messages contained in the
stories are more persuasively communicated and better remembered by the child audience | en_US |
