From a new historicist perspective, every text exhibits the cultures and values of its historical context. It reflects the attitudes and beliefs of their time, providing a critical insight of society’s structure. The success of an appropriation is seen through its capability to transcend the original values of a text, recreating them for a modern day audience. The original texts of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ and Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ expose the societal beliefs of the ‘ideal woman’ and the necessity to conform one’s self to meet these expectations.
The protagonist in ‘The Little Mermaid’ finds the importance of changing herself to meet the expectations of the prince whereas ‘Eliza’ from ‘Pygmalion’ takes lessons from a nobleman in hope to change her status in society. These iconic texts help a contemporary reader to recognise the standards regarding the ‘ideal woman’ and its impact on the social hierarchy. Ari Sandel’s ‘The Duff and Walt Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ have utilised the original text’s use of plot and characterisation to form these new texts to interrogate the formation of social classes.
These composers have transformed these standards and have adapted them to suit a contemporary audience. The changes within the original and appropriated texts signify the change of society’s values and cultures, where the composers of these new versions have ultimately challenged and reinterpreted the traditional beliefs. Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid represents the context of Denmark in the 19th century. As a writer of the romantic era, Andersen emphasised on human emotions and the value of nature.
His sympathy towards the high child mortality rates reflected his style of writing, with his main fairy tales revolving around the themes of child death and afterlife. Unlike Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, Andersen’s version depicts the protagonist’s desire to obtain an immortal soul in exchange for her mermaid life. Her painful transition from a mermaid to a human is described as “being stabbed with a sharp sword” and “treading on daggers. ” The protagonist’s sacrifice of losing her voice and tail for the love of the prince becomes a central theme, targeted towards children and even adults.
In a feminist perspective ‘The Little Mermaid captures the stereotypes towards young girls and their expectations to sacrifice and serve their husband. The idea of heaven and the soul connects to these prospects, giving young girls a purpose and understanding for receiving eternal life. Continuing with a feminist perspective, Hans Christian Andersen silences the little mermaid to represent the values of women and their status towards men. Throughout the story the little mermaid is constantly referred to as being “young, silent and thoughtful”, all values that were considered worthy in Andersen’s time.
Her chance of attracting the prince is purely based on her “beautiful figure” and “her graceful movements. ” From this portrayal of women, it seems that Andersen is both acknowledging and accepting the values and beliefs of his context. The religious connotations of the original text were removed from Walt Disney’s version of ‘The Little Mermaid’, providing a new subject matter and style for the protagonist ‘Ariel. Unlike Andersen’s version, Ariel’s motive is to be included into the terrestrial world, and to neglect the expectations of her father.
The characterisation of Ariel differs from the original ‘The Little Mermaid as she displays a more daring and heroic personality. Ariel possesses the qualities of acceptance and tolerance that essentially unites the two worlds of humans and mermaids. Disney’s successful appropriation promotes the new values amongst children that includes ‘following your dreams’ and breaking from the conventional expectations made in society. It is Disney’s version of ‘The Little Mermaid where Andersen’s belief towards the status of women and their purpose are challenged and redefined.
Similarly, Bernard Shaw’s satirical play ‘Pygmalion’ captures the same themes of conformity and the independence of women. From a new historicist approach, Shaw exhibits the societal expectations of young women and their struggle to fit in a classed society. Bernard Shaw was an active socialist during the Victorian Era where his writings displayed his belief of equality within the social hierarchy. His humorous plays depicted the various social problems of his context, including education, class and the imbalance of power between sexes.
The inspiration of Pygmalion’ derived from the Greek mythological story of a sculptor named ‘Pygmalion’ who fell in love with his handmade statue that was supposed to represent the ‘ideal woman. ‘ However, Shaw mocks the Greek and Victorian concept of the ‘ideal woman’ and challenges this notion through his strong characterisation of the lead character ‘Eliza’ who originally objects to the society’s expectations of the ‘ideal woman. ‘ Her independent and ethical personality contrasts with her accent and choice of clothing that essentially represents her low status in society.
Professor Higgins is convinced that he has the ability to transform the cockney flower girl into a dutches, just from the amendment of her accent and garments. Eliza’s remarkable transition allows her to be apart of the superior class in society. The play satirically alludes to the rigid structure of the British class system and its ability to separate people from their speech and clothing. Although Eliza changes in her physical appearance, Shaw highlights her fiery and independent attitude that is maintained throughout the play.
Eliza exclaims, “If I could go back to my flower basket! I should be independent of both you and father and all the world! I’m a slave now, for all my fine clothes. ” It is here where Shaw is critical of his context, as he exhibits the flaws in Victorian culture and the limitations that negatively affect individuals, especially women. Correspondingly, Ari Sandel grasps on issues of the Victorian social hierarchy but recontextualises the original text into a setting that is more relevant and relatable to teenagers today.
The film, ‘The Duff reflects the stereotypical social groups within a high school that essentially defines a person’s status and personality. The protagonist, ‘Bianca’ discovers that she is the considered ‘duff in her group, an acronym meaning ‘designated ugly, fat, friend. ‘Upon this discovery, Bianca, like Eliza in Pygmalion, asks for help from her neighbour, Wesley, to transform her into someone that is considered “date worthy. Her refusal to accept the role as ‘The Duff ultimately causes disruption and chaos within the school cliques. Sandel redefines the image of what is considered the ‘ideal woman’ amongst teenagers, by showcasing Bianca’s sense of uniqueness, humour and fun. The final scene of Sandel’s film especially highlights the rejection of social class and labels, where Bianca, through her process of self-discovery realises that her label as a ‘duff is meaningless.
The parallels between Eliza and Bianca position the audience to see the faults of both the Victorian and contemporary period in regards to social class and high school cliques. Both Eliza and Bianca possess the qualities of individuality and independence, virtues that are promoted and valued today. As seen in all texts, each central protagonist represents their context’s image and values of the ‘ideal woman’ and their position in the rigid social hierarchy.
The modern films of ‘The Duff and ‘The Little Mermaid’ have successfully recontextualised the stereotypes towards women and have promoted new values of independence, equality and freedom. The richness of a good appropriation is not only seen through its ability to reflect the culture and values of its context, but through its ability to transform these values that are accepted into a new audience. It is these successful appropriations that reveal a society’s change in culture, challenging established contexts that determine the value and significance of a text.
