The Fanfiction Reader: Folk Tales for the Digital Age

by Francesca Coppa

Overview

Written originally as a fanfiction for the series Twilight, the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey has made obvious what was always clear to fans and literary scholars alike: that it is an essential human activity to read and retell epic stories of famous heroic characters. The Fanfiction Reader showcases the extent to which the archetypal storytelling exemplified by fanfiction has continuities with older forms: the communal tale-telling cultures of the past and the remix cultures of the present have much in common. Short stories that draw on franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, James Bond, and others are accompanied by short contextual and analytical essays wherein Coppa treats fanfiction—a genre primarily written by women and minorities—as a rich literary tradition in which non-mainstream themes and values can thrive.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472122783
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	03/02/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Francesca Coppa is Professor of English and Film Studies at Muhlenberg College.

Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Five Things That Fanfiction Is, and One Thing It Isn’t Introduction Lunch and Other Obscenities - Rheanna Introduction The Sad Ballad of Mary Sue’s Blues - Pares Introduction next - Jennet Smith Introduction Three Fairy Tales of Smallville - Koi Introduction They Say of the Elves - Brancher Introduction The Vacation - Kaneko Introduction Queen of Spades - astolat Introduction Never Is a Promise - Yahtzee Introduction The Pond Continuum - kaydee falls Introduction Subliminal - Speranza Introduction Wolf Man’s Party - Mollyamory Introduction When they finally come to destroy the earth (they’ll have to go through you first) - AlchemyAlice Introduction The Story of Finn - LullabyKnell Notes Bibliography: For More on . . . Contributors

Editorial Reviews

PROSE Awards, Media and Cultural Studies category

PROSE Awards

As someone who has taught fanfiction for years, I can say that for instructors who do not wish to deal with the thorny issues of internet fanfiction ‘in the wild’ but want to give students the opportunity to discuss and learn from it, this volume will be a boon.” 
—Anne Jamison, Associate Professor of Literature, University of Utah



“The Fanfiction Reader is an invaluable resource for anyone teaching fan studies. This book offers students a much-needed cohesive and contextualized selection of fanfiction stories and a starting point to broach conversations about the ethics of analyzing fic in light of its growing visibility in digital culture.” 
—Suzanne Scott, Assistant Professor of Media Studies. University of Texas-Austin

From the Publisher