Making a Splash: Mermaids (and Mer-Men) in 20th and 21st Century Audiovisual Media

Making a Splash: Mermaids (and Mer-Men) in 20th and 21st Century Audiovisual Media
ISBN-10
0861969251
ISBN-13
9780861969258
Category
Social Science
Pages
218
Language
English
Published
2017-01-30
Publisher
Indiana University Press
Author
Philip Hayward

Description

Mermaids have been a feature of western cinema since its inception and the number of films, television series, and videos representing them has expanded exponentially since the 1980s. Making a Splash analyses texts produced within a variety of audiovisual genres. Following an overview of mermaids in western culture that draws on a range of disciplines including media studies, psychoanalysis, and post- structuralism, individual chapters provide case studies of particular engagements with the folkloric figure. From Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" to the creation of Ursula, Ariel's tentacled antagonist in Disney's 1989 film, to aspects of mermaid vocality, physicality, agency, and sexuality in films and even representations of mermen, this work provides a definitive overview of the significance of these ancient mythical figures in 110 years of western audio-visual media.

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