I was so excited to start this class, and I can confidently say it did not disappoint! Before this class, I was very much in my own little bubble about mermaids, seeing their stories as a beautiful sacrifice for true love. Throughout this class, I was provoked to think deeper, to read the text, and to grasp what, why, and how a piece of text at hand is written. I learned that the interpretation of a piece of literature is endless.

Within these mermaid stories, I learned so much about how a myth can reveal so much about society at the time. With stories of Melusine and Undine, we uncovered themes of patriarchy and women’s agency (or lack thereof), and The little mermaid themes of immigration and homosexuality. With all stories holding a belief that nature is something so grand and different from humans.

To discover how the environment holds history by thinking of the ocean as an archive. I think this moment in class was one of my biggest takeaways. History is more than what we can see, read, or hear. To think about the environment as a piece of history. In discussions about the middle passage and the ocean holding the bodies of those who passed was really eye-opening. With this knowledge, I think I will forever look at history differently, being more interested in the forgotten details.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have this class, and I fear this class will forever linger in the back of my mind as I go forward in my academic career, analyzing literature. I feel so lucky to have a class that makes saying goodbye so hard.

Thank you so much for a lovely semester,

Kaila