Fandom

Highly recommended. (Choice) Fandom explores the multidimensional aspects of the fascination, enthrallment, obsession that fans have with their various interests. (Journal of Mass Communication Quarterly) One of the best aspects of the text is the way that the contributors do not merely typecast fans as those interested in modern and popular culture, but also examine fans of mediums typically considered 'high culture.' This makes the book much friendlier to pop-culture fans, whose practices are typically considered lowbrow and fanatical when compared to someone who holds season tickets to the opera or visits an art gallery every weekend. As a fan, it's nice to see that the behavior is not reduced to unnecessary fanaticism and is examined on a more subjective level. (M/C Reviews) Fandom pushes the boundaries of fan studies in bold directions, incorporating high culture fandoms, global fan cultures, fan technologies, and antagonistic anti-fandom, while rethinking the core tenets of fan studies concerning aesthetics, place, intellectual property, and interpretive communitiesall presented with a lively, accessible, and engaging writing style. - Jason Mittell,Middlebury College Thought-provoking. . . . Well-selected and challenging collection. (Screen)