The representation of aquatic people in contemporary film and television—from their on-screen sexuality to the mockumentaries they've inspired. Mermaids have been a feature of western cinema since its inception and the number of films, television series, and videos representing them has expanded exponentially since the 1980s. Making a Splash analyses texts produced within a variety of audiovisual genres. Following an overview of mermaids in western culture that draws on a range of disciplines including media studies, psychoanalysis, and post-structuralism, individual chapters provide case studies of particular engagements with the folkloric figure. From Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" to the creation of Ursula, Ariel's tentacled antagonist in Disney's 1989 film, to aspects of mermaid vocality, physicality, agency, and sexuality in films and even representations of mermen, this work provides a definitive overview of the significance of these ancient mythical figures in 110 years of western audio-visual media.

本書は、人魚という鏡を通して「他者」への欲望と深層心理を解体する知的冒険の書です。身体性や性の表象を鋭く考察する筆致には、文化の深淵を覗き込むようなスリルが宿っています。神話が現代のアイコンへ変貌する過程を紐解き、境界線上に漂う存在の本質的な魅力を浮き彫りにします。 映像版では、緻密な分析が直感的な体験へと再構築されています。論理的な「境界」の議論が、映像の官能性を伴って迫るのです。知的な原作と象徴性を増幅させる映像。このシナジーこそが、人魚という永遠のミステリーを多角的に味わう真の醍醐味と言えるでしょう。