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Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World

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Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World

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Overview

What is fanfiction, and what is it not? Why does fanfiction matter? And what makes it so important to the future of literature?

Fic is a groundbreaking exploration of the history and culture of fan writing and what it means for the way we think about reading, writing, and authorship. It's a story about literature, community, and technology—about what stories are being told, who's telling them, how, and why.

With provocative discussions from both professional and fan writers, on subjects from Star Trek to The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Harry Potter, Twilight, and beyond, Fic sheds light on the widely misunderstood world(s) of fanfiction—not only how fanfiction is transforming the literary landscape, but how it already has.

Fic features a foreword by Lev Grossman (author of The Magicians) and interviews with Jonathan Lethem, Doug Wright, Eurydice (Vivean Dean), and Katie Forsythe/wordstrings.

Cyndy Aleo (algonquinrt; d0tpark3r)
V. Arrow (aimmyarrowshigh)
Tish Beaty (his_tweet)
Brad Bell
Amber Benson
Peter Berg (Homfrog)
Kristina Busse
Rachel Caine
Francesca Coppa
Randi Flanagan (BellaFlan)
Jolie Fontenot
Wendy C. Fries (Atlin Merrick)
Ron Hogan
Bethan Jones
Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs/tby789 and Lauren Billings/LolaShoes)
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Rukmini Pande and Samira Nadkarni
Chris Rankin
Tiffany Reisz
Andrew Shaffer
Andy Sawyer
Heidi Tandy (Heidi8)
Darren Wershler
Jules Wilkinson (missyjack)
Jen Zern (NautiBitz)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781939529190
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	11/26/2013
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	690,212
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Anne Jamison is associate professor of English at the University of Utah, where she teaches and writes about literature and culture from the 18th century to the present. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Princeton and is the author of Poetics en passant (Palgrave, 2009), the forthcoming Kafka's Other Prague, and a variety of essays and articles—as well as a blog about teaching fanfiction, and a lot of tweets. Her work on fanfiction has been quoted in publications from The New York Review of Books to The Wall Street Journal to Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch. She lives happily in Salt Lake City in a house full of children, basset hounds, and an avant-garde poet. And yes, of course she's written fic.

Foreword Lev Grossman xi

Introduction

The Theory of Narrative Causality 3

Why Fie? 17

Part 1

Writing from Sources 25

A Prehistory of Fanfiction 26

The Look of Fic: 1800s 37

The Sherlock Holmes Material: A Study in Fanfic 39

The Early Adventures of the Apocryphal Sherlock Holmes 42

The Look of Fic: 1920s 47

Mad as a Box of Frogs Wendy C. Fries (Atlin Merrick) 48"Love Is a Much More Vicious Motivator" 54

The Slasher Who Is Not One (An Interview with Katie Forsythe and wordstrings) 63

Part 2

A Selective History of Media Fandom 71

Science Fiction, Star Trek, and the Birth of Media Fandom 73

Fables of Irish Fandom Andy Sawyer 77

I Am Woman, Read My Fic 84

Recollections of a Collating Party Jacqueline Lichtenberg 91

The Look of Fic: 1970s 100

Interlude: Growing Up Fic 103

Literary Playtime Ron Hogan 106

The X-Files, Buffy, and this Rise of the Internet Re Fandoms 111

The X-Philes 118

Mulder/Scully versus the G-Woman and the Fowl One Bethan Jones 122

The Look of Fic 1995 130

The Bronze Age 131

Fic U Jen Zern (NautiBitz) 140

The Look of Fic: 1999 149

Megafandoms: Harry Potter and Twilight 151

An Excerpt from Percy Weasley's University Thesis Chris Rankin 157

How Harry Potter Fanfic Changed the World (Or at Least the Internet) Heidi Tandy (Heidi8) 165

The Look of Fic: 2001-2002 175

The Twilight random 177

Twilights True Believers Jolie Fontenot 188

A Million Words Lauren Billings (LolaShoes) 193

An Interview with tby789 (Christina Hobbs) 199

The Look of Fic: 2009-2010 205

On writing-and Being-a Mary Sue Cyndy Aleo (algonquinrt/d0tpark3r) 207

Becoming Bella Swan Randi Flanagan (BellaFlan) 212

The Fandom Gives Bach Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs/tby789 and Lauren Billings/LolaShoes) 219

Snowqueens Icedragon (E. L. James) and Sebastien Robichaud (Sylvain Reynard): A Fandom Exchange 224

An Anatomy of a Flame War 232

Bittersweet Tish Beaiy (his_tweet) 253

PART 3 Fic and Publishing 259

An Interview with Eurydice (Vivean Dean) 263

Fifty Shades of Cold Andrew Shaffer 268

The Briar Patch 274

Just Change the Names Tiffany Reisz 289

Preying for More Rachel Caine 293

Part 4

Fanwriting Today 299

An Archive of Our Own Francesca Coppa 302

The Epic Love Story of Supernatural and Fanfic Jules Wilkinson (missyjack) 309

Pon Fan; Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegavene Krisrina Busse 316

Real Person(a) Fiction V. Arrow (aimmyanowshigh) 323

#Bradam Forever Brad Bell 333

Hobbyhoising Peter Berg (Homfrog) 337

From a Land Where "Other" People Live Rukmini Pande Samira Nadkarni 342

The Look of Fic: 2013 353

Part 5

Fanfiction and Write Who Don't Write Fanfiction 355

Conceptual Writing as Fanfiction Darren Wershler 363

An Interview with Doug Wright 372

An Interview with Jonathan Lethem 377

Blurring the Lines Amber Benson 384

Acknowledgments 389

About the Contributors 391

About the Author 397

Endnotes 398

Index 409

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

"This definitive volume offers a rich immersion into fanfiction and is for anyone who has both loved and lived for the unique community of fandom, as well as for those who desire a look into this world or who are curious about the unexpected impact fic is having on the literary realm."
—Library Journal

"Jamison takes readers on a tour of the [fan fiction] field as it developed in the 20th century, focusing on television- and book-based fan fiction of the 1990s and 2000s, a period when technology allowed people across the globe to share their enthusiasms online . . . [Fic] takes a sympathetic and supportive look at the unconventional practice, highlighting both its precedents and the benefits this mixing of ideas can bring . . . Those unfamiliar with the field would do well to read this text."
—Publishers Weekly

"Anne Jamison's Fic is an indispensable guide to the dizzying world of fanfiction—its history, names, games, and creative promise. With her own exuberant and informative criticism, provocative interviews with writers, lively essays by readers and activists, and engaging examples from the kingdoms of fandom, Jamison demonstrates the zest for innovation that has made fanfiction both popular and avant-garde."
—Elaine Showalter, Professor Emerita of English and American Literature, Princeton University

"Jamison is at pains to stress that she doesn't think fan fiction can be 'represented by a single voice, least of all mine.' So Fic includes several essays by and interviews with fic authors (and a handful by Jamison's fellow scholars) recounting their experience in the genre. . . . in one of Fic's many fascinating moments, contributor Jacqueline Lichtenberg remembers first hearing of [Kirk and Spock slash] in the early '70s, at a party convened to hand-collate Star Trek zones."
—Pacific Standard

"Jamison guides the curious down the rabbit hole in Fic, a lively collection that pulls together contributions from fic writers, novelists, academics, attorneys and even a couple of Hollywood actors to educate the neophyte. . . . The essays are full of wonderful nuggets."
—The Hollywood Reporter

"Fanfiction readers and writers may find something new in the historical background offered by Jamison—or more likely, will enjoy re-engaging with the old debates. . . . Readers who are less familiar with the world of fanfiction will find Fic educational and insightful, even if they are not familiar with all of the fandoms described here."
—Hypable.com

From the Publisher

11/01/2013
In a series of essays edited by Jamison (English, Univ. of Utah), professional and amateur writers come together to dissect and discuss the social phenomena of fanfiction (fic)—stories that dip into already existing creative worlds to expand or alter these works for the entertainment of fans. Using examples that range from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight to the TV show Supernatural to the members of the musical group One Direction, authors include actress Amber Benson (Among the Ghosts) and actor Chris Rankin (known for playing Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter films), among other fic writers who describe their forays into the medium that garnered them Internet fame. Sprinkled among the book's detailed history and terminology is comfort for those still carrying scars from the intensely battled Harry Potter shipping wars (readers argue over which characters should end up together). For those looking to put pen to paper, there are do's and don'ts for crafting a true-to-character smut scene, and for readers who feel like they've been dropped into a sea of fanspeak, there is reward in learning how writers such as Cassandra Clare (City of Bones) and E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey) got their start. VERDICT This definitive volume offers a rich immersion into fanfiction and is for anyone who has both loved and lived for the unique community of fandom, as well as for those who desire a look into this world or who are curious about the unexpected impact fic is having on the literary realm.—Kate DiGirolomo, Library Journal

Library Journal

Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World

Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World

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