Everybody hurts : transitions, endings, and resurrections in fan cultures / edited by Rebecca Williams.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Williams, Rebecca, 1981- editor.

Series:

Fandom & culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fans (Persons)--Psychology.

Fans (Persons).

Popular culture--Social aspects.

Popular culture.

Mass media and culture.

Physical Description:

vii, 257 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, [2018]

Summary:

"Have you ever been a fan of a show that was canceled abruptly or that killed off a beloved character unexpectedly? Or perhaps it was rebooted after a long absence and now you're worried it won't be as good as the original? Anyone who has ever followed entertainment closely knows firsthand that such transitions can be jarring. Indeed, for truly loyal fans, the loss can feel very real--even throwing their own identity into question. Examining how fans respond to and cope with transitions, endings, or resurrections in everything from band breakups (R.E.M.) to show cancellations (Hannibal) to closing down popular amusement park rides, this collection brings together an eclectic mix of scholars to analyze the various ways fans respond to change. Essays explore practices such as fan discussion and creating alternative fan fictions, as well as cases where fans abandon their objects of interest completely and move on to new ones. Shedding light on how fans react, both individually and as a community, the contributors also trace the commonalities and differences present in fandoms across a range of media, and they pay close attention to the ways fandom operates across paratexts and transmedia forms including films, comics, and television. This fascinating approach promises to make an important contribution to the fields of fan, media, and cultural studies, and should appeal widely to students, scholars, and anyone else with a genuine interest in understanding why these transitions can have such a deep impact on fans' lives."-- Publisher's website.

Contents:

Introduction : starting at the end / Rebecca Williams

pt. 1. Exploring music fandom. Remembering R.E.M. : social media, memories and endings within music fandom / Lucy Bennett

"I'll never break your heart" : the perpetual fandom of the Backstreet Boys / Simone Driessen

"My music was on shuffle, one of their songs came on and had to hit next..." : navigating grief and disgust in Lostprophets fandom / Bethan Jones

pt. 2. Televisual anniversaries, endings, and fan/producer relationships. Breaking up with Breaking Bad : relational dissolution and the critically acclaimed AMC series / Melissa A. Click and Holly Willson Holladay

Fan euthanasia : a thin line between love and hate / Paul Booth

Endings in soap opera : speculation and reaction to EastEnders' 30th anniversary storyline / Stuart Bell and Ruth A Deller

"Is this what you call a break up?" : the cancellation of Merlin, perceived producer disloyalty and "television-as-lover" fandom / Joseph Brennan

Hannibal's refrigerator : Bryan Fuller's response to fans' (critical) rage / Evelyn Deshane

pt. 3. Fan works, adaptations, and endings. The repurposed fantasy : dōjinshi and the Japanese media mix / Anya Benson

When production is over : creating narrative closure in fan edits / Nicolle Lamerichs

Creating canon through Kickstarter : Star Trek continues / Nichola Dobson

pt. 4. Fandom and the loss of space and place. Replacing Maelstrom : theme park fandom, place, and the Disney brand / Rebecca Williams

"The world's turned inside out, and we can never go home, anymore" : Punchdrunk's site-specific theater and fan interaction / Emily Garside

Internet killed the video store : video stores, cultural memory, nostalgia and fandom / Kathleen Williams

Afterword : fannish affect and its aftermath / Kristina Busse.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-249) and index.

ISBN:

9781609385637

1609385632

OCLC:

1007082687