By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Little Mermaid’ (1837) is one of the most layered and fascinating fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen. At once the quintessential fairy tale and a curious subversion of the fairy-tale form, ‘The Little Mermaid’ requires some careful analysis to unpick its various strands and meanings. Before we offer an analysis of the story, though, it might be worth recounting its plot.