Mermaids and Sirens as Androgynous Figures in Victorian Art and Literature 1870-1915

Through the lens of queer, trans and feminist theory, this project explores the androgynous depictions of mermaids and sirens in Victorian art and literature. It focuses on three Pre-Raphaelite artists – Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919) and John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) – who produced prolific mermaid and siren output, alongside their literary and biographical influences. Several other Victorian artists such as Frederick Leighton and Herbert Draper depicted these creatures, but always as feminine ‘femme fatales’ – a trope upon which much scholarship already exists. These three second-wave Pre-Raphaelites, however, appear to do something different, perhaps initiating the development of the mermaid as the queer symbol recognised today. This thesis investigates why these artists chose to diverge from dichotomous Victorian gender norms in their works, and why the figures of mermaids and sirens were chosen as the vessels through which to do so. This exploration is navigated within a framework of theoretical concepts such as Dustin Friedman’s queer Aestheticism, José Esteban Muñoz’s queer utopianism, Astrida Neimanis’s hydrofeminism and Susan Stryker’s trans monsters. These concepts, when reviewed together, present the idea that queer Aesthetic art looks towards an ideal future in which individuals are free to express a greater range of gender identities. For each artist, this thesis assesses the extent to which biographical, societal, artistic and literary factors shaped their androgynous mermaid and siren artworks. Their enduring legacy and impact today, both on the art world and on our attitudes to gender, is considered in light of the project’s findings.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Cecilia Neil-Smith (21042032)

• Mermaids
• Sirens
• Victorian
• Androgyny
• Queer
• Pre-Raphaelite

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Open Access after 2027-07-12

Identifier

10779/exe.31032007.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31032007