Senior Lecturer in Japanese
My research looks at fairy tale retellings in Japanese and English. Having published a monograph on new versions of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid", I am now shifting my focus from "imaginary" to "real" animals. Whereas many fairy tale studies focus on the anthropomorphic, symbolic aspect of animal characters, I am interested in how fairy tales can reflect actual animal behaviours and characteristics, as well as the realities of human-animal relationships in particular societies at particular times. I also hope to explore how fantastical and magical representations of animals can–like more "realistic" depictions–encourage human readers to connect more closely with other species.
Fraser, Lucy (2023). Flights Across Inner Borders: Japanese Picture Book Retellings of Ainu Owl Stories. Border-Crossing Japanese Literature: Reading Multiplicity. Ed. Akiko Uchiyama and Barbara Hartley. Routledge.
Fraser, Lucy (2018). Dogs, Gods, and Monsters: The Animal–Human Connection in Bakin’s Hakkenden, Folktales and Legends, and Two Contemporary Retellings. Japanese Studies, 38 1: 103-123.
Fraser, Lucy. (2017). The Pleasures of Metamorphosis: Japanese and English Fairy Tale Transformations of "The Little Mermaid". Detroit, MI, United States: Wayne State University Press.