Little Red Riding Hood gets an evolutionary makeover

A controversial digital analysis traces the origins of several well-known folktales

MY, WHAT BIG DATA YOU HAVE  A scholarly dispute has broken out over whether a new statistical analysis accurately portrays the evolution of folktales such as “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Project Gutenberg/Wikimedia Commons

Back off, Big Bad Wolf. The Ravenous Data Cruncher has cornered “Little Red Riding Hood,” brandishing a statistical exposé of the fictional girl’s hazy past.