“Domesticated” Versus “Wild” Fanfiction: Fanfiction as a Pedagogy Outside of the Classroom
Start Date
April 2024
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
Fanfiction has existed for a very long time. Many consider Milton’s Paradise Lost as one of the earliest instances of fanfiction, and more recently, Star Trek fanfiction and fan “zines” saw a boom in the 1960s. However, the invention of the internet and the movement of fandom to online spaces has revolutionized the way we think about fanfiction. Fanfiction has been studied as a form of literature and a teaching tool for writing, but how do writers grow in their writing in fanfiction outside of the classroom? In this study, we survey fanfiction writers to learn about their experiences and their perception of their evolution as writers. By examining how fanfiction works to improve writing “in the wild,” without classroom guidance, we can learn how to best use it as a pedagogical tool to develop composition studies in general.
“Domesticated” Versus “Wild” Fanfiction: Fanfiction as a Pedagogy Outside of the Classroom
2nd floor - Library
Fanfiction has existed for a very long time. Many consider Milton’s Paradise Lost as one of the earliest instances of fanfiction, and more recently, Star Trek fanfiction and fan “zines” saw a boom in the 1960s. However, the invention of the internet and the movement of fandom to online spaces has revolutionized the way we think about fanfiction. Fanfiction has been studied as a form of literature and a teaching tool for writing, but how do writers grow in their writing in fanfiction outside of the classroom? In this study, we survey fanfiction writers to learn about their experiences and their perception of their evolution as writers. By examining how fanfiction works to improve writing “in the wild,” without classroom guidance, we can learn how to best use it as a pedagogical tool to develop composition studies in general.
