Cambridge University has issued a trigger warning for the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood," citing "adult content" and "themes of violence." The caution was provided to students in advance of a webinar lecture on the history of bedtime stories, organized by Clare College for state school pupils as preparation for university study, particularly in the humanities.
The session encouraged participants to critically examine childhood stories and explore their underlying meanings. However, official course notes stated: "Content warning: Please note this session will involve discussion of some adult content including themes of violence, with reference to fairytales."
The original 1697 version of the story features the wolf successfully consuming Red Riding Hood's grandmother and then the young girl. Later adaptations, including a 19th-century version by the Brothers Grimm, retained violent elements, though often with a more favorable conclusion. A 2011 film adaptation also presented a dark interpretation of the tale.
This incident follows a pattern of trigger warnings at the university. In 2017, the English department applied warnings to lectures covering classic texts, including Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" for its themes of sexual violence and assault, and Euripides' "The Bacchae" for its depictions of violence. In 2022, the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning advised staff to include content notes on all books and plays featuring violence, discrimination, and illness, aiming to create a more inclusive educational environment.
Lord Toby Young of the Free Speech Union commented on the recent warning, telling The Sun that "Putting trigger warnings on fairytales is infantilising, even for Cambridge."