Medos vivenciados pelo lobo em contos tradicionais e renovados

Abstract

Fear, when it emerges on the pages of literature, is not merely an obstacle to be overcome by the characters; it is also a mirror, a crossroads, a passage. It forces confrontation with fragilities, demands difficult choices, reveals what was previously hidden beneath the surface. The way a character relates to this emotion, whether they surrender to it, challenge it, or are transformed by it, illuminates essential aspects of their subjectivity, tracing paths that transcend the plot and touch the symbolic dimension of existence. Based on this premise, this dissertation aims to investigate how fear is experienced and represented by the character Wolf in different children?s narratives. The analysis focuses on four works: "Little Red Riding Hood," by Charles Perrault; "The Three Little Pigs," by Joseph Jacobs; "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" by Silvana Menezes; and "The Girl and the Wolf," by Fábio Yabu. Throughout the work, this study aimed to: understand the specificities of traditional and contemporary tales (Ceciliato, 2008; Coelho, 2000, 2012; Propp, 2001); trace the symbolic trajectory of the Wolf in literature (Jesse, 2000; Silva, n/d; Hueck, 2016); reflect on the presence of fear as a founding element in literary narratives (Bauman, 2008; Delumeau, 2009; França, 2011, 2017; Roas, 2014); and conduct a close reading of the selected works (Perrault, 2012; Jacobs, 2006, 2021; Menezes, 2009; Yabu, 2014). The adopted methodology combined bibliographic research and literary analysis, enabling the intertwining of theory, critique, and reader sensitivity. The results point to a significant shift in how the character Wolf is depicted over time. While in classical narratives he appears as a feared, impenetrable, and immoral figure, in contemporary reinterpretations what emerges is a Wolf with psychological depth, vulnerable, often wrestling with his own fears. This change signals an expansion of meanings: what was once a symbol of threat becomes a metaphor for the human condition and its abysses. By analyzing these different representations, the research highlights how fear, previously projected solely onto the other, now also resides within the monster itself, shifting the perspective and redefining the figure of the Wolf in children's and young adult narratives. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]