Keywords

fanfiction; disability; mass media; DC; Marvel; rhetoric

Abstract

With the lack of reputable disability representation in popular superhero media, fans turn to fanfiction to write the representation they long for. This absence of proper representation in media can feel like the erasure of disability, and in compensation, fanfiction paves the way for authentic representation in media. Fanfiction authors do this by reacting to specific choices made by the mass media outlets through their creations. Fan studies scholars have examined fan reactions for decades, categorizing them into two groups: affirmative (agreeing with the source material) and transformative (disagreeing with the source material). Affirmational fans interpret the canon text without challenging its ideologies, expanding upon it in ways that remain consistent with the original narrative. Transformational fans challenge and shift the canon text into something different. Fanfiction is considered a transformative reaction. Informed by disability studies and fan studies, this research aims to study fan reactions around disability to understand what it is they affirm/transform from the source material. When a disabled identity is explored in the canon, do the fanfictions respect it? Or do they choose to alter it? What about an able-bodied identity? What facets of identity are the ones that receive alteration as opposed to approval? By analyzing 2,000 fanfictions within the MCU and DCU, this rhetorical critique will encourage future rhetoricians to think critically about the realities they affirm/transform from media representations. This methodology, as part of a broader project, will lay the foundation for a more comprehensive rhetorical critique of the representational choices made by mass media outlets. This analysis will reference models of disability, such as the medical, social, and identity model, to deepen our understanding of these representational dynamics. In doing so, this research will contribute to the ongoing conversation regarding the responsibility of artist and audience.

Thesis Completion Year

2025

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Wheeler, Stephanie

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Writing & Rhetoric

Thesis Discipline

Fan Studies

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

1 year

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Rights Statement

In Copyright