Julia Goldmann

Abstract

This PhD-project is aimed at closing a significant gap in Fan Studies, more specifically, in research conducted in relation to Fan Fiction. Fan Fictions are stories written by fans, who utilize characters from films, television series, books, plays, comics, et cetera and engage them in new storylines. With few exceptions, these stories have only recently been recognized by academia as a field of research. These early studies have portrayed the practice of writing Fan Fiction as a uniquely female practice that has been – and still is being – ridiculed by other fans. However, this focus on authorship and the motivations for the same have neglected the texts themselves. This is the reason why I want to work with the Fan Fiction texts posted on the platform www.archiveofourown.org, more specifically, analyze the genres, their formulas and the essentially connected relationship pattern of the same. Gen (for general stories, meaning stories without a foregrounded relationship), Het (for heterosexual couples) and Slash (for gay couples) are considered the main genres whereas Femslash (lesbian couples), Multi (polyamorous relationship or multiple relationships) and Other (stories that do not fit with any of the other categories) have not been properly analyzed yet. These genres are prominent markers for potential readers in their search for fitting content on Fan Fiction archives and platforms. Moreover, this opening of the structures of the source text offers readers of the same the possibility to negotiate unsatisfactory elements of said primary text and manipulate them until they are pleasurable for them.

CV (optional)

Julia Elena Goldmann graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Communication in 2012 and her Master’s degree in 2014 from the University of Salzburg. Since October 2015 she is working as a teaching and research assistant at the department of Communication Theory and the Public Sphere under Professor Elisabeth Klaus. Her research focuses are Cultural- as well as Gender Studies, Intersectionality, Bodies and their Representation as well as Fan Studies.