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- Herausgeber: Books on Demand
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
Fanfiction is a phenomenon that has influenced and is influenced greatly by our society. In this book, the influence of English fanfiction today is examined, with focus on the social, psychological and political impact of the fan-written texts. The definition of fanfiction, its origin and history are discussed and fanfiction terminology and websites are explained. The book focuses on who reads and writes fanfiction and how physical and mental illnesses as well as gender identity and sexuality are portrayed in fanfiction. It also aims to answer the question of how teenagers are influenced by fanfiction and how it impacts their development. It furthermore shows what we as a society can learn through reading fanfiction and interacting with the community, including second language acquisition and fanfiction in relation to classroom learning. Further topics include fanfiction as a form of imaginary play and defining fanfiction as a form of activism. This work was first written as a research paper, the so called VWA, as part of the final high school exam in Austria. After receiving an award from the Education Directorate of Vorarlberg (Austria) in June 2022 for the best research paper in the category Social Sciences/Economics, the author chose to publish the extended version of the paper as a book.
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Seitenzahl: 111
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Dedicated to …
… Mag. Dagmar Waibel-Mätzler, who stood by my side and supported me.
… my friends and family, who always believed in me.
… the cats Lucy and Levi, who sat on my lap while writing this.
… and the whole fanfiction community, that has inspired me to write this and that has made me the person I am today.
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to give answers to how English fanfiction influences today’s society and how the world can develop through literary practices like fanfiction. It was therefore essential to my research to analyze the people partaking in fanfiction in order to draw conclusions for possible impacts of fan-written texts on the public. Previous studies show that fanfiction aims to portray marginalized groups in society in an authentic way and promotes queer orientations, but research regarding the overall effects on our society is little. In this report, I explore the social influences of fanfiction by viewing it as a form of activism which is often able to reach a larger group of people than traditional activism. Furthermore, the social influences of fanfiction will be considered, defining it as a form of imaginary play comparable to daydreaming, which leads to increases in creativity and knowledge of scholarly practices. The political influences of fanfiction are then examined through examples of fanfiction being used as a form of election campaign. Moreover, there will be an emphasis on the impact fanfiction has on the sexual development of teenagers and how they use fan works to generate an understanding of themselves. This report argues that fanfiction can also enable discussion of topics that may not be appropriate in other communities. These analyses are then used to form an understanding of how fanfiction can be a valuable literacy practice in relation to classroom learning.
Preface
Fanfictions are a complex phenomenon that has and has been influenced by society over many years. This interaction between fanfiction and society is one of the many facets that has inspired me to conduct this research, though it focuses on the influences English fanfiction has on our society today, rather than the opposite way around.
As both an avid reader and writer of fanfictions myself, this topic is very close to my heart. Fanfiction is an important part of many people’s lives and can be a necessary tool in overcoming struggles in life, especially for people with mental health issues. For example, for many people with ADHD and other mental illnesses, reading fanfiction is a wonderful concept because it supplies fans with huge amounts of stories – no matter their length – with characters they already know and love, which makes it a reliable source of dopamine to them.
Fanfiction has personally helped me throughout my life in many ways, and without fanfictions and the community around them, I would be in a very different place today. They have been a source of happiness to me for many years and I have learned more from them about myself and the world than I ever have in other ways. And as I read a number of fanfictions each and every day, they have become indispensable to me.
The special thing about fanfiction is, that it focuses on a lot of emotional topics that “real” literature refuses to acknowledge. It discusses and represents people like people of colour, people with mental and physical disabilities or people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community like no other form of media does. This is why it is so important to so many people all around the globe. Because it is the naturally developed space, the outlet, for many people to share their ideas and experiences and write about what is important to them. Fanfiction can bring comfort in dark times, can make you laugh and cry or just give you something that distracts you for a while, but it is also crucial in understanding social problems and changing society, as well as in educating others.
It is a form of creativity through which one can interact with others in the fandom and contribute to it. Especially for people within the LGBTQ+ community, fanfictions are extremely important as they help many people in understanding and coming to terms with their own identity, particularly young people. Much can be learned about oneself when reading fanfiction and interacting with the community. This community is highly important in fandom practices and likewise when it comes to fanfiction and plays a great role in how fans interact with other fans and the outside world.
Still, fanfiction and fanfiction authors are often disregarded in society. They are seen as amateurs and “crazy fangirls” – a stereotype that is discussed in this book – and many still make a difference between fanfiction and “real” literature. This is the main reason for why I chose this topic for my report and am now publishing it as a book. To show the world through scientific research, that fanfictions are more than just “badly-written stories on the internet” and that they can be key to understanding and meliorating society.
Katharina Kriz, September 2022
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Definition of Fanfiction
3.
The Origins and History of English Fanfiction
3.1 The Origins of Fanfiction
3.2 Fanfiction and Mythology
3.3 Fanfiction and the Internet
4.
Fanfiction Websites and Communities
4.1 A Short History of Fanfiction Platforms
4.2 Famous Fanfiction Platforms at a Glance
4.2.1 Wattpad
4.2.2 AO3 – Archive of Our Own
4.2.3 Fanfiction.net
5.
Who Writes and Reads Fanfiction?
5.1 Findings on Gender and Sexuality
5.2 Findings on Location and Age
6.
Portrayal of Disability and Mental Illness in Fanfiction
6.1 Portrayal of Disability in Fanfiction
6.2 Mental Illness in Fanfiction using the Example of Hobbit Fanfiction
7.
Portrayal of Gender and Sexuality in Fanfiction
7.1 Gender Identity in Fanfiction
7.2 Sexuality in Fanfiction
8.
Influences of Fanfiction Throughout the Years
8.1 Social Influences of Fanfiction – Activism of Care
8.2 Psychological Influences of Fanfiction – Fanfiction as Imaginary Play
8.3 Political Influences of Fanfiction
8.4 Influences of Fanfiction on the Sexual Development of Teenagers
9.
The Stereotype of “Crazy Fangirls”
10.
Learning through Reading Fanfiction
10.1 Second Language Acquisition through English Fanfiction
10.2 Fanfiction in Relation to Classroom Learning
11.
Conclusion
References
Appendix – Glossary
1. Introduction
The influence of English Fanfiction on today’s society serves as the topic of this research paper. In this regard I will explain the definition and terminology of fanfiction as well as the origins and present famous fanfiction websites. Then I will discuss who reads and writes fanfiction and how physical and mental illnesses as well as gender and sexuality are portrayed in fanfiction. Subsequently I will dedicate myself to the topic of social, psychological and political impacts fan written texts have on humans and the maturation of teenagers in particular. Lastly, I will debate the fanfiction stereotype of “crazy fangirls” and evaluate what significance fan written texts have in relation to learning.
2. Definition of Fanfiction
The most common description for fanfiction – otherwise known as fanfic or simply fic – defines them as stories written by fans that are based on previously existing characters, worlds and situations from a TV series, film, book, comic, video game, etc. which are then used to create new plots.1
But fanfiction has gained a variety of different definitions through the years. Although many view fanfiction as nothing more than “stories based off of another author’s work”, fanfiction differs from that definition by using works of other writers simply as a foundation for producing stories that are totally unique.2
Defining fanfiction becomes additionally complicated because the fanfiction community has established their own implications and usages behind different labels so that descriptions found in dictionaries can often be inaccurate. Moreover, there are minor variations of jargon between separate fandoms.3
The image of fanfiction has gone through multiple changes over the years. While Meredith McCardle, well-known author and media personality, defines fan written texts as unprofessional writing centered around modern-day pop culture, Dr. Natasha Simonova, university lecturer in English at Exeter College, considers some writings of as early as the 17th century to be fanfiction.4
Cyndy Aleo, fanfiction author herself, describes fan written texts as more than just writing by highlighting the imaginative process that is involved in creating fanfiction. According to her, fanfiction can also include the act of simply thinking about how a novel could have ended differently.5
Some scholars also argue that a fan work can be described as being created “within and for a community of fans” and that this community is what defines fanfiction.6
Others view fanfiction as a method of “reclaiming consumer agency” and of playing with older forms of storytelling, like myths, that used to be communal as opposed to the rather solidary experience of storytelling in modern novels.7
Furthermore, there are scholars like Kristina Busse, who believe fanfiction to be closer related to drama and theatre than to other genres of literature.8
“In literary terms, fan fiction’s repetition is strange; in theatre, stories are retold all the time”.9
In this sense, fanfiction writers who put characters into different contexts, worlds, and scenarios to write their own original stories can be compared with actors and actresses who put on different costumes to become different characters for a performance.10
As fanfiction often focuses on secondary characters and so-called “what if” scenarios and denies crucial plot points of the canon material, various scholars have described this “reworking” and “re-shaping” of canon as a sign for fanfiction being a transformative work. A study that compared fanfictions with their source material has shown that fanfiction usually emphasizes other aspects of the story than fiction.11
So while fan-written texts have been defined as stories “filling in the gaps” of the original story’s plot by different academics like McGee, Brooker or Lee, recent research has shown that they oftentimes focus more on a character’s background, emotions and motivations than the actual plot, which many also see as the appeal of fanfiction. A distinctive feature between fanfiction and fiction is therefore the importance of characters and their relationships, mental states and experiences that is heightened in fanfiction as the plot or structure is often already given in the fictional story on which it is based.12
Researchers like Busse view the rejection of essential plot points as a recurring theme in fanfiction, while others like Henry Jenkins have argued that the focus on supporting characters is what defines these stories. Jenkins even goes as far as characterizing fanfictions as a way of asserting ownership over favourite characters.13
Overall there are six central themes in fanfiction as defined by scholars Hellekson and Busse:
fanfiction as a shared gesture
as an interpretation of the original text
as a sociopolitical dispute
as an identificatory practice by individuals
as an educational tool
as a form of audience response.
14
Furthermore, well-known works of literature like Arthur Laurent’s “West Side Story” – as it is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – can be labeled as fanfiction depending on which definition one goes by. That can make it difficult to determine what exactly counts as fanfiction and what does not.15
1 Cf. Carson, Caitlyn: What is Fanfiction and Where to Find It: Definitions and Fan Archives. Dalhousie 2017, p. 1.
2 Cf. McCain, Katharine E.: Canon vs. ‘Fanon’: Genre Devices in Contemporary Fanfiction. Washington, DC 2015, p. III.
3 Cf. Carson, Caitlyn: What is Fanfiction and Where to Find It: Definitions and Fan Archives. Dalhousie 2017, p. 1.
4 Cf. McCain, Katharine E.: Canon vs. ‘fanon’: genre devices in contemporary fanfiction. Washington, DC 2015, p. III. Cf. McCardle, Meredith: About. 2013.http://meredithmccardle.com/about/ (Accessed: 31.07.2021). Cf. PEW Literary Agency Limited: Natasha Simonova. 2021.https://www.pewliterary.com/author/natasha-simonova/ (Accessed: 31.07.2021).
5 Cf. Jamison, Anne: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World. November 2013, p. 212.
6 Cf. Fiesler, Casey: Owning the servers: A design fiction exploring the transformation of fandom into "our own". Colorado 2018, p. 2.
7 Cf. McCain, Katharine E.: Canon vs. ‘fanon’: genre devices in contemporary fanfiction. Washington, DC 2015, p. 17.
8 Cf. Weiler, Regina: Fanfiction Reviews and Academic Literacy: Potential Impacts and Implications. Orlando 2019, p. 4.
9 Coppa, Francesca: A brief history of media fandom. 2006, p. 134.
10 Cf. Weiler, Regina: Fanfiction Reviews and Academic Literacy: Potential Impacts and Implications. Orlando 2019, p. 5.
11 Cf. Barnes, L. Jennifer: Fanfiction as imaginary play: What fan-written stories can tell us about the cognitive science of fiction. In: Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts. 2015, Vol. 48, p. 75.
12 Cf. Barnes, L. Jennifer: Fanfiction as imaginary play: What fan-written stories can tell us about the cognitive science of fiction. In: Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts. 2015, Vol. 48, p. 76.
13 Cf. Barnes, L. Jennifer: Fanfiction as imaginary play: What fan-written stories can tell us about the cognitive science of fiction. In: Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts. 2015, Vol. 48, p. 76.
14 Cf. Kustritz, Anne: Review of The Fan Fiction Studies Reader by Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse. In: Cinema Journal. 2015, Vol. 54, p. 167.
15 Cf. Dowd, Vincent: The story of West Side Story. 25.09.2012.https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19702038 (Accessed: 10.01.2022).
