- The BBC noted that fans have been right all along in their devotion to popular culture, given that it’s adding to the stories of old. “Our modern civilisation, like all civilisations before it, has settled around a set of myths and legends as the basis of its culture. They are more complex, more interesting, more sophisticated, and with a much richer interaction between creators and fans than you might think. Far from being mere films or comic books, they are whole extended fictional universes, entirely self-consistent, with deep histories, hundreds of characters, and even a form of theological scholarship.”
- As the curators of cultural preservation, librarians have been proactive in responding to fans activities by not just encouraging their creation with numerous library programs, but also now doing readers advisory for fanworks. The results can be important. “While wearing an Avengers t-shirt in the library, a librarian was stopped by a little girl who wanted to know if she’d seen the Avengers movie. The librarian responded that it was one of her favorite movies, and the girl confessed that she loved it too, even though her teacher said it was just for boys. She then asked if the library had any Avengers books. As the librarian helped her collect a stack of Iron Man easy readers, the girl’s mom tearfully explained that her daughter was a reluctant reader, and that this was the first time she’d actually wanted to check out books.”
- Even media outlets that one wouldn’t expect are trying to integrate fannish practices into their coverage, such as Fashion & Style highlighting Twilight fansites, or Seventeen making a fairly good list of responses to criticism, such as countering the familiar “‘Why don’t you care about something that actually matters?” with “Who are you to say something I’m this passionate about doesn’t matter? It matters to me.”
- Meanwhile more fannish and amateur publications are reporting on topics from fan terminology in motion, to what happens when fandom burnout begins, or charting the course of a fannish passion. Stories like these mean that all sides of fandoms and fannish experiences are joining their canons in being a part of cultural history.
Is it important to you that fannish history be preserved? Then open an account and write about it in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.
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