Date of Award
Spring 3-19-2026
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English and Linguistics
Department Chair or Program Director
Levin, Jonathan
First Advisor
Mathur, Maya
Major or Concentration
English (Creative Writing Concentration)
Abstract
Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 story, “The Little Mermaid,” is a popular fairy tale that has been adapted several times by writers, filmmakers, and game developers. It is one of the few fairy tales with explicit portrayals of disability; the mermaid in the tale is nonspeaking and experiences chronic pain, as well as being a mermaid—a nonnormative figure who is aligned with disability. This paper looks at the ways that the mermaid is portrayed in literary, film, and new media adaptations from a disability-justice perspective. Examining multiple representations of the character, I argue that while feminist adaptations erase her disability and Disney adaptations turn her disability into a narrative of overcoming, modern adaptations make her disability desirable. I conclude that it is only by making disability desirable that these adaptations can change perceptions fairy tales create about disabled people.
Recommended Citation
Molloy, Ace, "Voice and Pain: Representations of Disability in Adaptations of “The Little Mermaid”" (2026). Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects. 705.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/705
Rights
Included in
Disability Studies Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Game Design Commons