The Democratic Genre - Fan Fiction in a Literary Context. Sheenagh Pugh was interviewed on British breakafast time television the day her book came out. The resultant clamour for copies surprised the publishers, who hadn’t printed enough to cope with demand. Amazon were beseiged.
It is absolutely wonderful and you should all read it, whether you write or read fanfic or not.
I bought it when it came out and read it then but have just re-read it. I re-read it with a pencil in one hand and a notebook beside me, noting quotations I didn’t want to forget and references I want to google. I skimmed through it again this autumn, before moderatin a panel on metafandom at a convention. And I will probably read it again.
I think I got more from it this year, as last year I was fairly new to the fanfic scene. But don’t let that put you off. There is something for everyone.
She brings together all the commentary on the literary aspects of fanfic, adds her own thoughts and illustrates her work with in-depth looks at a few fandoms. She merely touches on the sociological research but gives references that the reader can follow up. The fandoms she chose are not ‘mine’ but that didn’t matter - the pieces (long and short snippets) used are fascinating and so are the interviews (mostly by email) with writers. Sheenagh is a ‘profic’ writer and teaches creative writing at a university; she reads fanfic for pleasure.
You may not agree with everything she says, but it is all presented in a way that invites further research and debate, and there are copious references to enable the reader to follow specific points of interest or read related books and articles.
The book is interesting, funny and wise, and does an enormous service to those involved in the genre. Get it! Order it from your library, or from amazon or whatever, but make sure you read it!
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