Most of us have a clear perception of what fairy tales are, or what we assume they are are. Over the past century, these tales have been laden with so many clichés, such as evil queens' curses and damsels in distress, that we tend to identify them based on the presence of such clichés. Fairy tale scholar Kate Bernheimer suggests that when trying to determine what a fairy tale is, clichéd themes play an insignificant role. According to her, the most distinctive qualities of a fairy tale are its underdeveloped characters, absurd logic, and lack of description. Its aesthetic and unrestricted definition allows for a broad interpretation of what constitutes a fairy tale. However, since most popular fairy tales seem to consistently share certain formal characteristics, such as narrative structure, simple imagery, and superficial characters, it is easy to assume that if a tale does not follow a similar pattern, then it's not a fairy tale. . "Little Red Hat" is an autobiographical poem by Carol Ann Duffy, which presents a female perspective on Little Red Riding Hood while describing Duffy's relationship with an older man. People often do not identify it as a fairy tale because it lacks several characteristics that fairy tales are commonly associated with. In “Fairy Tale is Form, Form is Fairy Tale,” Bernheimer states that the four “formal components (although there are others) constitute the hard logic of tales” (64). By adding “although there are others” in parentheses, it allows for a modification of its definition. Examining it through Bernheimer's ideas, I will show that Carol Ann Duffy's "Little Red Hat" is a fairy tale. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Flatness is the first aspect listed by Bernheimer as an identifying characteristic of fairy tales, and Duffy also uses this technique, albeit in a limited way. Flatness refers to the “absence of depth” (Bernheimer 66) in type that allows readers to engage with the text. According to Bernheimer, flatness is used so that the audience can be more engaged and imagine certain attributes of the character. Duffy, however, uses flatness for metaphorical reasons. For example, the grandmother could be considered a flat character since she is only mentioned once: "I took an ax to the wolf while he was sleeping, one blow of the ax, the scrotum up 'at my throat, and I saw the bright, pristine white of my grandmother's bones' (Duffy4). She is a symbol rather than a personality; the phrase "the pristine white of my grandmother's bones" is a metaphor for generations of women who have been oppressed by men. “The pristine, glistening white of my grandmother’s bones” means that all oppressed women have been freed and regained their pride. Therefore, Duffy's poem uses platitude to allow people to engage with the text by allowing them to identify with it. Although “Little Red Cap” does not use this technique exactly as Bernheimer described it, it successfully uses flatness to promote audience engagement. Although Duffy does not use the same approach as Bernheimer describes, his poem achieves the same goal as fairy tales. Bernheimer cites “flatness” as one of the key aspects of a fairy tale because “it allows for a depth of response in the reader” (67). The hypothesis underlying its. 3-4