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Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over The World (2013)

by Anne Jamison(Favorite Author)

3.53 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1939529190 (ISBN13: 9781939529190)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Smart Pop

review 1: Read my full review at wadingthroughbooks.wordpress.com!I won this book from a Goodreads‘ First Reads contest, and I was thrilled since it was already on my personal to-read list. I was even more thrilled when I actually read it, because it’s terrific. I’ve been a fan since grade 3, reading fanfic since I was about 15, and I attended my first convention at 18. In some ways, this book is part of the story of my life. It also introduced me to parts of fandom that I didn’t know about. I’ve read a lot of fanfic over the years (a lot) (no, I’m not kidding, a lot) (a lot a lot a lot), and I didn’t like everything, but most of the writers were able to make an interesting point. Some fanfic writers I’ve loved better than ‘traditional’ writers. Some fanfic write... morers ARE published, traditional writers playing in a sandbox they love just like the rest of us. Some writers that I know started writing in fanfic, polishing their skills, before they became published writers, and still love fanfic. All of which are points that Jamison makes so I guess it’s not just me. That’s the thing about fandom–it’s very personal, if you’re a fan, it’s your culture and your identity and your hobby and your friends. Jamison started as an academic studying fandom, but eventually she became a fan–fandom has a way of sucking you in and inviting you to play too.I saw a lot of myself in this book–in a nonfiction cultural study, I guess that means she got it right. The essays she collected are equally well-done, offering different perspectives from different fandoms and fans who have experienced fandom in different times and places.They look at slash, het, g, omegaverse, au, and RPF. They discuss both copyright and the different understandings of the laws regarding copyright. They look at how the internet has vastly changed the face of fandom, and truly helped it turn into a global community. They look at attitudes towards monetizing fanfic and the arguments against it, and how it affects the community that supported its creation. They look at the problems with fanfic, and the areas that it rarely touches. And they look at fanfic as art, and where it belongs in the artistic and literary worlds.This book is a must for academic fans, for fans who want a wider perspective on fandom than their own experiences, and for fic writers who want to know the history of their hobby.
review 2: This is an interesting book that attempts to legitimize, corral, and discuss the enormous topic of fan-created works. Beginning with early oral traditions and moving through Shakespeare and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Star Trek and the internet and the recent explosion of 50 Shades, Jamison respectfully handles the disparate material with intelligence and humor. She discusses, without judgement, the various aspects of fic, the pros and cons of being involved in a fandom, being fic'ed, turning fic into a profitable published book, and the various reasons why some writers feel that is anathema to fandom. Like any collaboration, some essays are better than others. It could have been more aggressively edited (I feel like I say that an awful lot), especially when many of the different authors felt the need to define (again) fandom terminology. There is some topical overlap, as well as some ideas raised that could have been examined a little more. I will also admit to skimming a couple of the essays that simply didn't interest me.At the end, Jamison left me with the burning question: Why wasn't Fanfiction101 offered as a course when I was in school? less

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