The bankrupt values and lack of imagination filkers recognize in media producers and literary hacks get mapped onto the larger social order through an evocation of a long-standing distinction between fan culture and the mundane world. This distinction is partially
On Female Fandom & Gift Culture…
In female fandom’s gift culture, gifts correlate to aspects of the self, such as time or talent. This sort of exchange turns one role of woman and gift on its head: the woman is still the gift, but now she
Slash – even more so than gay romance – is the ultimate fictional expression of erotic faith. The romance heroes in these stories fall so in love with their male friend or partner, so embrace the religion of erotic faith,
In the romance, the imperative “Love!” can be fleshed out into nine key elements that are always present, even if only implied. These essential elements of the romantic love story are (1) IT IS HARD TO BE ALONE, especially (2)
And let’s not pride ourselves on the monogamy, either; this is another patriarchal imposition which women have sexualized – in fact I believe it can be seen in the K/S [Kirk/Spock] material (as in the romances) as a metaphor for