PT Journal
AU Bila, A
TI (A)historical Fandom of Jane Austen: From High Culture to Popular Culture and Back
SO Iluminace
PY 2021
BP 43
EP 61
VL 33
IS 3
DI 10.58193/ilu.1711
WP https://iluminace.cz/en/artkey/ilu-202103-0004.php
DE literary fandom; cult fandom; implicit fandom; Jane Austen; history of fandom
SN 0862397X
AB This paper deals with Jane Austen fandom, and works with the assumption that fandom is not just a modern phenomenon but rather a historical one. This text is based on the notion that fandom can be a manifestation of a new form of religiosity, taking inspiration from the term "cult fandom" (coined by Matt Hills). I am concerned with Austen as a published and praised author during her lifetime; how her works came to be a part of literary canon; and how the elitist fandom and popular fandom are both connected to their idol. The aim of this article is to show that we can find roots of fandom in a more distant past, and fans of the canonical writers can manifest themselves with the same activities and practices like any other media fandom.
ER