Book Review of “The 19th Century for Girls – From the Little Mermaid to Alice in Wonderland”

The Little Mermaid Was Dressed in Men’s Clothing!

“The 19th Century for Girls – From the Little Mermaid to Alice in Wonderland”

Written by Akiko Waki

(Iwanami Shoten, 20/12/2013)

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I was amazed to learn that the Little Mermaid dressed like a man – a fact which Akiko Waki points out in her book “The 19th Century for Girls – From the Little Mermaid to Alice in Wonderland.”

This led me to open “The Andersen’s Fairy Tales” from Iwanami Paperbook Libray (translated Suekichi Ohata). The Little Mermaid fell in love with the Prince and came to the human world, and there it says, “The Prince had them tailor men’s clothes for the Mermaid and had her accompany him when he went for an excursion on a horse. The two of them went through a fragrant forest.”

On the other hand, according to Waki, the same place in The Collected Works of World Literature for Children (translated by Hiroto Hirabayashi) version says, “The Prince made a saddle so that he could ride on a horse with the Mermaid. The two of them went through a fragrant forest.” In the original Danish version, the Mermaid is dressed in men’s clothes.

Waki notes the difference in her book. “The Hirabayashi version means that the Memaid in her feminine clothes is riding double on a horse with the Prince. In contrast, if the Prince ‘had them tailor men’s clothes for her,’ it means she was riding on a different horse and accompanying him like an attendant. This difference cannot be overlooked.”

Once we have learned that the Little Mermaid was dressed like a man, a completely different -- active and hermaphrodite – image of “Mermaid” from the traditional one comes up. When we focus on the “men’s clothes,” the teary ending of the tale could possibly be interpreted in another way.

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Original article written by lita (wan.or.jp/book/?cat=1)

Translated by A. Tawara