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Abstract
This essay considers narratives that are not typically read as stories about performative identities. Adapting queer criticism, I suggest that inherent in “The Little Mermaid,” both Hans Christian Andersen's short story and the Disney film, is a story about a performance of transgender identity. Exploring parallels between transgender identity development and the mermaid narratives, I argue that the possibility of a transgender reading resides in the mermaid stories, which can be understood as coming out narratives of sorts. In both transgender identity development and the mermaid stories, themes of mind-body dissonance, familial tension, and self-censorship are evident. Further, I suggest that transgender criticism is one of many potential offspring of queer criticism for critics interested in messages related to sexuality and gender identity in texts.
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to Peggy Kreshel, Thomas Lessl, Celeste Condit, Belinda Stillion Southard, Kelly Happe, and the peer reviewers for helpful suggestions throughout the preparation of this manuscript. An earlier version of this essay was presented at the 2012 meeting of the Southern States Communication Association in San Antonio, Texas.