Deconstruction of Stereotyped Animals in Contemporary Children’s Literature: The Big Bad Wolf in the Work of Geoffroy de Pennart

Abstract

This article analyzes the deconstruction of the big bad wolf stereotype in contemporary children’s literature, focusing on The Wolf Is Back!, by Geoffroy de Pennart. Based on the reflections of Stuart Hall on stereotyping and counter-representation, the study discusses how the narrative uses humor, intertextuality, and role reversal to challenge traditional representations of the wolf as a threatening figure. The analysis demonstrates that Pennart critically reenacts classical fairy-tale repertoires, creating new possibilities for interpreting animality and questioning anthropocentric models consolidated in the Western tradition.