The Collapse of the Fourth Wall in Online Fan Fiction

What is it about?

Studies of real-person fan fiction (RPF) often focus on how RPF exploits the flexibility of celebrity identity. Yet social media have introduced an unprecedented level of proximity between fan fiction communities and their subjects and threatened to overwhelm this sense of flexibility. This article focuses on “bandom,” a fan fiction genre focused on American rock bands like My Chemical Romance.

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Why is it important?

This article argues that the increased access to the lives of celebrity subjects destabilizes the practice of writing and reading fan fiction. As fan practices become more visible and accessible, this article shows some of the ways in which fan writers' practices are impacted. Music fan fiction has also come to the fore in the "After" series based on the band One Direction, and this article details an earlier fandom based on popular music.