Notes on The Red Issue

Abstract

Notes on The Red Issue Likeallfairy tales, thestory ofLittle Redgetsstrength from itsmultitudes. Itisa moving hive, a travelling packoftranslations andinterpretations too numerous tocatalogue. Itmanages to examine ourmostsalienttropes in binaries, andtheequators formed inthiscontrast aretangential contradictions :The taleisatonceinnocent andsexual. Itmingles thevulnerable with thepredatory, andoverlaps captivity withfreedom. Itisbothfable andfairy tale,and a horror story to boot:a naïveindividual walking intoa denof trickery. Thencomesthat eerie, parsed-out realization whenourgirl comes toterms with whatthereaders haveknown allalong:things arenotasthey seem.Whata fright, whensomething categorized assafebecomes compromisedandinverted , whenthefamiliar isreplaced withtheunknown. Capgras delusion isa raredisorder wherepeoplefeeltheir lovedoneshave beenreplaced byimposters. Butherewehavea fable where sucha swaphas truly occurred. Itisinthis waythat thestory serves asa shield, helping usto grapple withoneoflifesmostunsettling truths: danger canbe anywhere, even(orespecially) where weleastexpect it.Itsvery hardtoacceptthat we cannever haveabsolute security. Luckily there isLittle Red,a talethat providesa stress-saver actofmetonymy: instead ofhaving tothink abouthow harmmight find usanywhere, wecansimply knowthatgrandmothers are occasionally replaced bywolves andleaveitatthat. In thisissue, weaddnewfootprints tothepaththrough thewoods.Some ofthesepiecesretell thetale;others explore itsplaceinourminds andour culture. Go mydears,andseehowyourgrandmother isdoing.I hearshe hasbeenvery ill. AlissaNutting, Managing Editor LasVegas, Nevada Note to Readers: The Red Issue was edited by FTRfounding editor Kate Bernheimer. 13 ...