Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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Storyworlds: A Journal of Narrative Studies.
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Approaches to Fanfiction
fanfiction and participatory culture
Perhaps one of the main reasons why people are saying such nice things
about fanfiction is that it takes us away from the notion of texts as stat-
ic, isolated objects and instead reminds us that storyworlds are gener-
ated and experienced within specific social and cultural environments
that are subject to constant change. In online environments where ac-
cessibility and participation seem almost to be taken for granted, fan-
fiction is about far more than the writing and reading of stories, as fans
engage in all kinds of social networking and community building not
only within the terms set by specific sites but also frequently beyond
and against these, as when fans set up their own subcultures and spe-
cial interest groups. For example, Austen fans can buy “Team Darcy”
merchandise online and even purchase patterns for creating their own
finger puppet versions of Darcy and Elizabeth, closely resembling Co-
lin Firth and Jennifer Ehle from the 1995 BBC adaptation. Although
some purists bemoan “the hamster-wheel of posthumous productivity”
(Bowles 2003: 16) that has turned Jane Austen into a commodity in this
manner, others (e.g., Thompson 2008) have celebrated such activities
as continuing the best traditions of the cottage industry model and as
confirming the limitless creativity of fans seeking out ways to display
their devotion to and passion for their favored storyworlds.
In short, fanfiction highlights the motivations and desires of read-
ers—in ways theorists of narrative need to take into account. In tra-
Notes
1. See Henry Jenkins, Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry
Jenkins, <http://www.henryjenkins.org/>.
2. Examples of anti-fan activity can be found at I Hate Harry Potter, <http://www
.ihateharrypotter.com>, or I Hate Star Wars Club, <http://ihatestarwarsclub.
blogspot.com>.
3. Examples of Darcy/Wickham slash are much more common. See, for example,
“Truth Discovered” by Jadecastle6 or “Two Sides of the Same Coin” by Lizard2,
both on FanFiction.Net. For an example of Darcy/Bingley slash see “Concern-
ing the Pianaforte” by DragonRawr, also at FanFiction.Net.
4. Whysuddenly admits to having Colin Firth in mind when composing “The
Wedding Night” and “Conversation in the Morning,” published together at
FanFiction.Net.
5. See R. Lyle Skains (2010) for a discussion of interactions between authors and
their readers online.
Works Cited
websites
Crack Van. <http://community.livejournal.com/crack_van/>.
Derbyshire Writers’ Guild. <http://www.austen.com/derby>.
Fandom Wank. <http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/>.
FanFiction.Net. <http://www.fanfiction.net>.
Firthness. <http://www.firthness.com>.
Mrs. Darcy’s Story Site. <http://www.mrsdarcy.com>.
The Republic of Pemberley. <http://www.pemberley.com>.
scholarly works
Abercrombie, Nicholas, and Brian Longhurst (1998). Audiences: A Sociological
Theory of Performance and Imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bacon-Smith, Camille (1992). Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the
Creation of Popular Myth. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P.
Black, David A. (2004). “Character; or, The Strange Case of Uma Peel.” Gwenllian-
Jones and Pearson 99–114.