Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” has become an iconic example of European fairy tales. Rarely is there a child who is not familiar with some form of the tale. While the Disney interpretation implements the infamous “happy ending,” the original tale, written in 1837, takes a much more severe take on the life and expectations of women at the time. This talk will focus on female-animal hybrids in folklore, most specifically on mermaids and Andersen’s depiction in his iconic tale. We will explore themes of selfhood and rejection, a woman’s sacrifice and worth as well as the societal levels of the sea versus land. All of these themes help elucidate how far Disney diverted from Andersen’s original “The Little Mermaid.”

This program is presented in conjunction with BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Feather Chiaverini's solo exhibition at 2nd Story, which uses mermaids as a metaphor for transformation, in-betweenness, and the fluidity of identity, particularly in relationship to queerness.

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Dr. Bess Dawson is an Associate Professor of German Studies at the University of Kentucky. She previously taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where she received her master’s and PhD), Georgetown College and Louisiana State University. At UK, she regularly teaches German language courses as well as topics courses on both folklore and sports.

While her primary research focus lies in sports literature and film of early 20th century Germany, she continues to return to fairy tales—the subject of her master’s thesis. Each year, she teaches a large lecture course at UK entitled “Fairy Tales in European Context,” which teaches critical thinking and analysis by comparing fairy tales from across centuries as well as across Europe. One of these discussions focuses on the literary tales of Hans Christian Andersen, including “The Little Mermaid,” which brings us to the heart of today’s lecture.