FOLLOWING THE SIREN'S SONG: FEMALE SUBJECTIVITY IN UNDINE, THE LITTLE MERMAID, AND WIDE SARGASSO SEA
Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Portugal, Jose Alberto
Keywords
Siren, Mermaid, Subjectivity
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
This project draws material from classical mythology then moves to focus mainly on the 19th and 20th century's artistic depictions of the siren in the visual arts and literature in order to trace her metamorphosis from a prophetic, predatory bird-woman to a seductive femme fatale and analyze her ensuing domestication through spiritualization. In chapter 2, going by the understanding of the siren and her song as a symbol for woman as "Other" and her (denied) subjectivity within patriarchal society, I analyze two stories about sirens: Baron Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's novella Undine and Hans Christian Andersen's tale, The Little Mermaid. I look at certain aspects of the heroines' narrative journeys, which allows me to construct a framework by which to understand these tales and then apply it to my reading in Chapter 3 of Jean Rhys' novel Wide Sargasso Sea as a more contemporary siren tale. The siren's hybridity (and fluidity) is what sustains her significance as a translatable metaphor for the dynamics of power, discourse, and gender within society that continue to be relevant today.
Recommended Citation
Werb, Sandra, "FOLLOWING THE SIREN'S SONG: FEMALE SUBJECTIVITY IN UNDINE, THE LITTLE MERMAID, AND WIDE SARGASSO SEA" (2013). Theses & ETDs. 6853.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6853
Rights
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