FIC: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World

Written by Anne Jamison

Narrated by Courtney Bailey

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 (Vivien Dean), and Katie Forsythe/wordstrings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094426112

Anne Jamison

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.

Reviews for FIC

[jessethek-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Exuberant, lightly edited, perhaps informative to someone who is not a part of fandom. Includes many points of view. As well as deep dives into Sherlock, Supernatural and Harry Potter. The opposite of Jossed is Kripked.

[elenaj-147457 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like most anthologies, this one was a mixed bag. I actually appreciated the sections on pre-"fandom" fanfiction and on Twilight fandom the most, because those are the areas of fandom I know the least about. I am curious to what extent Jamison got the OK of the fannish folks she quotes in her chapters (and relatedly, curious about how many feathers this book ruffled in the fan communities it discusses).

[dottyreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating look at fanfiction. Covers the development of fanfiction and looks at some seminal fandoms that had a transformative effect: Sherlock Holmes (in all its variations), Star Trek, X-Files, Buffy, Harry Potter and Twilight. Includes a number of interviews/essays with or by fan writers. Also discusses some of the controversies and darker sides of fandom. Jamison's writing is very accessible and readable even though her academic roots are evident. Recommended for anyone who is interested in fandom and fanfiction. (from my review on Amazon)