Critical Fandom : Representations of Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Fan Fiction /
"Fanfiction is not inherently critical or subversive. So what does critical fanfiction look like? How do fan authors critique both the media they love and their own fandom communities? What can critical fans teach us about the act of reading, interpreting, and writing? Writing Critical Fanficti...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Iowa City :
University of Iowa Press,
2026.
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| Series: | Fandom & culture
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "Fanfiction is not inherently critical or subversive. So what does critical fanfiction look like? How do fan authors critique both the media they love and their own fandom communities? What can critical fans teach us about the act of reading, interpreting, and writing? Writing Critical Fanfiction positions fan authors as rhetoricians and fanfiction as an action. Every fan author navigates-implicitly or explicitly-the politics of their fandom, the media they love, their lived experiences, digital technologies, reader expectations, and larger culture. To better understand critical fan authors, this book spotlights authors who write about race, gender, and sexuality in their fanfiction, including excerpts and personal stories woven throughout the book in interludes and chapters. Messina analyzes Archive of Our Own tagging practices, fanfictions, and interviews from four different fandoms: The Legend of Korra, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, and Our Flag Means Death. The Legend of Korra fan authors celebrate a queer relationship while still understanding representation is just the first step in the face of systemic homophobia. The Game of Thrones chapter demonstrates how authors challenge racism and heteronormativity in both the community and the show, especially the (lack of) response to Missandei's death or Jaime/Brienne's relationship reinscribing gender norms. In Black Panther fandom, fans reimagine relationships to make space for sapphic romances or explore the humanity of Erik Killmonger in a response to harmful stereotypes of radical Black men. Finally, the Our Flag Means Death fandom demonstrates how fandoms flourish when a show centers queerness, especially for trans fans. Even in these moments of joy, conflict still arises in discourse around whiteness and racist tropes"-- Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: | pages cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |
| ISBN: | 9781685970734 1685970737 |