Sarah Chu

Annotated Bibliography
Barnett, M. (2014, June). Why a Good Book is a Secret Door. [Motion Picture]. United States:
TED. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/mac_barnett_why_a_good_book_is_a_secret_door/transcript?
language=en
In his TED talk about his work, Mac Barnett explores his motivations for becoming a
childrens writer, as well as his thoughts on what impact fiction has on young children; an
incredible fantasy world which he refers to as a secret door. He also mentions a term
called metafiction, which results in the breaking down of the walls between reality and
fiction. In terms of the talk itself, I know there are good points to it, but Im rather unsure
of where I would be able to use the information that I learned. Barnett is a childrens
fiction writer, and although that would be useful, his talk doesnt quite have the right
elements that I would hope to incorporate in my essay. However, his anecdote of Nico
and the power of imagination that his books bring out can be used as a good example of
just how powerful fiction could be if it was used to educate children.
Brough, Melissa M., Shresthova, S. (2012). "Fandom Meets Activism: Rethinking Civic and
Political Participation." In "Transformative Works and Fan Activism," edited by Henry
Jenkins and Sangita Shresthova, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no.
10. Retrieved from
http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/303/265
In this article, Melissa Brough and Sangita Shresthova analyze a phenomena that occurs
within fandoms who are united for a higher cause: the use of well-known media and pop

Sarah Chu
culture to channel a distinct theme and message and apply them to real life situations.
This type of activism has been growing more and more popular and diverse, most likely
because it employs a medium that everyone is familiar with and can relate to. Brough and
Shresthova focus on four main aspects of what they call fan activism in their article:
the relationships between cultural and political participation; the tension between
participation and resistance in the context of fan activism; affect and the role of content
worlds in civic and political mobilization; and evaluation of the impacts of fan activism.
This article may very well change my essential question. The more research I do, the
harder I think it will be to physically connect fiction and culture not because its not
apparent that it is, but because it may be so obvious that not a lot of people have done
formal research on it (of course, I may just be researching the wrong things). Based off
of this article, I may end up changing my essential questions to how fans use fiction
culture to empower (a term that should be taken very loosely) themselves. Similar to the
article, Ive found a lot of evidence that supports the idea that fiction is contemporarily
being used to unite and inspire others in a form of activism. Depending on what other
research I can find, this may result in a different goal.
Cavallaro, D. (2000). Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William
Gibson. Retrieved from
http://is.muni.cz/www/175193/25476916/Cyberpunk_and_Cyberculture__Science_Fictio
n_and_the_Work.pdf
In her book, Dani Cavallaro surmises the role that science fiction plays in cyberculture,
which is a growing technological culture that has emerged due to the age of technology.
Cavallaro explores multiple facets of what has contributed to cyberculture, as well as how

Sarah Chu
certain science fiction elements such as Frankenstein and the cyborg have impacted
societys culture including both the authors of science fiction and the general populace.
The book is split up into several sections where Cavallaro goes more in-depth about the
relationship between culture and the science fiction elements that influenced them, as
well as how theyve gone to influence each other (the most prominent example being the
creation of the internet and net culture.)
In regards to my original topic, this would be most helpful. It not only establishes a
connection between science fiction (one of my main focus areas) and a certain type of
culture thats emerged, but it breaks down several aspects of that emerging culture. Even
if I end up changing my topic a little, I will most likely still be using this resource. The
challenge would be to narrow down the information Id be using from the book.
Hamid, M., Prose, F., (2015, February 17). Does Fiction Have the Power to Sway Politics?
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/books/review/does-fiction-have-thepower-to-sway-politics.html?_r=1
In Does Fiction Have the Power to Sway Politics, Mohsin Hamid and Francine Prose
assert the power that fiction has in shaping the political world. Citing examples such as
Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin and Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, the
two attempt to make the connection between fiction and political activism clearer. Fiction
narratives have the power to offer another view about what can be considered universal
issues, and for that they increase peoples empathy and raise the chance of political
activism. This article would be helpful in explaining what fiction can do to shape our
society. Most likely, Ill have to adjust my essential question a little, since this is the

Sarah Chu
second resource that can back up the claim of how people use fiction to empower
themselves.
Hoffner, C., Buchanan, M. (2005). Young Adults Wishful Identification with Television
Characters: The Role of Perceived Similarity and Character Attributes. Retrieved from
http://www.communicationcache.com/uploads/1/0/8/8/10887248/young_adults_wishful_i
dentification_with_television_characters_the_role_of_perceived_similarity_and_characte
r_attributes.pdf
This article presents a study about a term called wishful identification, in which a
fictional character becomes a role model for the observer. In modeling behavior and
values after fictional characters, young adults shape their society with social norms and
aspirations. The article also explores some of the negative aspects of wish fulfillment.
Some limitations to the study do exist: most of the data was gained in a qualitative way,
which makes it difficult to ascertain the verity of. Most of the people who were studied
were of the same racial ethnicity (young whites) from the same area, which undermines
the role of racial diversity when picking a character to model. I think that this article
could be used to understand what about certain fictional characters appeals to people, but
there are a lot of pitfalls that I could fall into if I dont clarify the study enough.
Mariam, P. (2014, May 19). An Interview with Stan Lee: The legendary comic book writer
discusses the role of comic books in childrens literacy and what secret super powers he
possesses. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/05/19/an-interviewwith-stan-lee/

Sarah Chu
In this interview of Stan Lee, the founder of MARVEL and creator of several well-known
comic books, sheds some insight into what he perceives as the role of his comics in
society. Lee touches on what kind of changes are emerging within the comic book world,
particularly in regards to more representation of people of color as protagonists. He also
comments on the benefits of comic books on childrens literacy.
The article is somewhat sparse, being a straight-cut question and answer session. While it
reduces the chances of bias within the article, the straightforwardness of the article limits
how much of it can be used. Some questions are relatively off topic for what I want to
use. However, its useful in the sense that Stan Lee, one of the great figures of fiction,
talks about how fiction encourages young children to read and increases literacy rates in
the classroom. Since my topic deals in part with how fiction can be used to educate, Lees
insight will be useful.
Perez, C. (2005, November) Cultural Identity: Between Reality and Fiction. Retrieved from
http://www.csub.edu/~rdugan2/SOC%20477%20Culture%20readings/cultural
%20identity%20and%20telenovelas.pdf
Perezs article deals mostly with how cultural identity in Mexico has changed, and how
that change is both affected by and influences the television, telenovas, there. As Mexico
has advanced and the influence of outside countries such as Mexico have become more
prominent, the cultural identity of the society has changed as well. This is most evident in
the evolution of the role of women in telenovas, wherein theyve been shown in
increasingly more powerful roles. The study was about the culture of Mexico, so Im
unsure just how I would be able to incorporate it into my essay. There are, however, some
more universal statements that would be good to use as opening arguments.

Sarah Chu
Strauss, M. (2012, March 15). Ten Inventions Inspired by Science Fiction. Retrieved from
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-inventions-inspired-by-sciencefiction-128080674/?no-ist
This article became one of the main focuses for my original essential questions. It
outlines several science fiction inventions, and the real life inventions that came to be
because of them. The article cant really be considered an article since it was more of a
slideshow than anything else, but I could nonetheless use it as a basis for my future
research. Judging by how my research has currently gone, it might actually be more
difficult to prove the connection between the inventions and their concepts than I
originally thought.
Ted Staff. (2013, July 26). An in-Office TED all about fiction. Retrieved from
http://blog.ted.com/an-in-office-ted-all-about-fiction/
This blog offers several contemporary perspectives on the role that fiction plays in
society and how it has come to evolve with the age of the internet. For example, twitter is
now being used as a medium for role playing and promotion of certain fictitious stories.
This allows authors and readers to gain a more immersive experience with their own
characters and storylines its become a different way of storytelling altogether. Another
area of focus that I think I would have better luck in researching may be how storytelling
has evolved with technology. Im unsure whether Ill be able to find enough research (as
always), but maybe this will provide a wider route than the once Im trying to follow for
now.

Sarah Chu
Walters, K. (DATE?) Mature Cartoons. Retrieved from
http://kayleewalters.com/portfolio/Personal/MediaCritProp.pdf
In her essay, Kaylee Walters takes us through the evolution of animations and their
storytelling elements. A far cry from Dora or Blues Clues, several more contemporary
animations such as Family Guy, or even the Jetsons seek to appeal to a more mature
audience, defying some of the stereotypes that exist for the notion of childrens
cartoons. Im unsure whether I should actually use this as a source, since it looks like a
student essay, but it nonetheless offers intriguing information regarding the change in
attitude for animation as a medium of storytelling. Id have to be careful in using this
source as well, since my topic is about fiction and its role in society. While that extends to
how fiction is told, this might be too much of a stretch.