Toxic Ableism and Gothic Nostalgia in Fanfiction About Mermaids

This chapter examines toxic ableism and Gothic nostalgia in three fanfictions featuring a Mermaid protagonist: “Mermaid in a Wheelchair” (2020) by Lilith Ravenwood, “The House of Mermaids” (2022) by Evangeline Blackwood and “Die stumme Meerjungfrau” [The Silent Mermaid] (2023) by Anna von Meeresgrund. Rooted in European storytelling traditions revolving around the mermaid from the Romantic movement up till the twenty-first century, these authors created new stories in which they weave identity markers of disability and difference. The fanfiction “Mermaid in a Wheelchair” provides a positive and empowering portrayal of disability through the character of Luna Hyde. In contrast, “The House of Mermaids” reinforces negative and ableist attitudes towards disability, while romanticising and exoticising it through the use of Gothic nostalgia. The portrayal of disability in “The Silent Mermaid” can also be seen as fitting the romanticised view of disability present in Gothic literature.