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Home , Fiction writing, Imitation (art), Real person fiction

Örebro University

Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

English

Fan in Formal Learning Settings:

Connecting Activities within Fiction Communities with the Teaching of English

in Swedish Upper-Secondary School

Author: Therese Larsson

Id no: 19840615

Degree Project

Spring 2018

Supervisor: Dr. Claire Hogarth Larsson 2

Abstract

This essay presents aspects of conducive to language learning, and therefore relevant to teachers of English in upper-secondary schools in Sweden. Students may lack motivation to engage in creative assignments in formal learning settings. However, young people engage in fan fiction-writing, and by doing so, develop their language and literacy skills. Drawing upon aspects of fan fiction-writing and participation in fan fiction communities, such as, , interaction, and literary discussions, teachers could find inspiration in these activities to use in their teaching.

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Table of Contents Abstract ...... 2

Introduction ...... 4

Background ...... 9

Imitation ...... 9

Fan fiction communities ...... 12

Aspects of Fan Fiction Communities Conducive to Language Learning and Literacy Development ...... 13

Interaction ...... 13

Feedback ...... 14

Literature and Literacy ...... 15

Creating Relevant and Meaningful Assignments ...... 15

Analysis ...... 17

“The Story” and its ...... 17

From Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to a Fan Fiction Story ...... 17

“The Story” Reviewed – Engaging in an Epitextual Conversation ...... 20

Lesson plan...... 23

Design of a Assignment ...... 24

Conclusion ...... 26

Suggestions for Future Research ...... 27

Works Cited ...... 28

Appendix 1. Fan Fiction Story and Reviews ...... 30

Appendix 2. Fan Fiction Glossary ...... 36

Appendix 3. Ratings of Fan Fiction ...... 39

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Introduction

Strange as it may sound, the first you should do to learn properly and to develop your own sound, is to copy other artists to understand how they have arranged their songs and then, when you have learnt the technique, you should focus on finding your own sound.1 Tim Bergling.

In the documentary about his career, we learn that Tim Bergling, a.k.a. Avicii, began making music by imitating other artists’ work before composing his own songs and material. Bergling explains the importance of imitation, emulation and practice to learn the craft of composing unique music (Avicii: True Stories). Does not this – the creative process with practice of imitation and the emulation of models apply to language learning too? In my opinion, it does.

As Bergling learned to compose music by studying other composers, often learn their craft by studying other writers (Brandt, 105, 110). Showing interest in and learning from others is how you get better at a craft – whatever the craft may be, according to professor Heather Sellers in her book The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students (42). Affirming Bergling’s stance on imitation, Sellers says that even though it might seem strange, imitation is an effective way to become a better (my italics, 41). By imitating a text, you are being scaffolded by another writer’s way of writing. Scaffolding is a central part of Sociocultural Theory, and it refers to the idea that “what you first are able to do with the help of someone else, you will later be able to do on your own” (Lundahl, 208). Seeking inspiration in the work of others is nothing new. In fact, mimicking others in order to learn for ourselves is something we all do even though we may not be aware of it, as Edward P. J. Corbett explains in his article “The Theory and Practice of Imitation in Classic ” (243). One extra-mural activity involving imitation, is the writing of fan fiction.

As the name suggests, the of fan fiction consists of made by fans. According to The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, fiction is “[the] general term for invented stories, now usually applied to , short stories, , romances, , and other works in prose, even though most plays and narrative poems are also fictional.” (Baldick, 140). Thus, fiction may be said to refer to any invented narrative. This may be said to be true for fan fiction as well; however, fan fiction are based on a model. Writing from a

1 All from Swedish to English in this essay are mine. ”Det bästa tipset, tycker jag, är att först, för att lära sig ordentligt, för att få sitt eget sound, tycker jag, hur konstigt det än låter, att börja kopiera andra för att förstå hur de har byggt upp sina låtar och sen, när man väl har fått tekniken, när du förstår hur du gör för att få till de där ljuden, då tycker jag att man ska försöka fokusera på att hitta sitt eget sound.” (Kernen, P3 Nyheter Dokumentär, 2018. 15min. 18sec. – 16min 10sec.). Larsson 5 model has a long history. Whether or not the phenomenon of producing a new piece of work, which is based on someone else’s work, is referred to as fan fiction or not depends on how you define it (Helleksson et. al., 2). In this essay, fiction will refer to original works published by authors who have copyrighted their stories and characters in order to it to the phenomenon of fan fiction. Moreover, the producer of an original work of fiction will be referred to as the “author” and the producer of fan fictions will be referred to as “writer” in this essay. Fan fictions “are fan-created texts that are based on forms of popular culture such as books, movies, television, music, sports, and video-games” as Rebecca W. Black says in her book Adolescents and Online Fan Fiction (xiii). In other words, fan fiction are narratives that have borrowed characters, settings or plotlines etc from already established pieces of fiction and are written by fans of these fictions.

The starting point in the production of fan fiction is reception, i.e. reading, listening or viewing. The production of fan fiction is then a continuing and changing piece of work – a true labour of love, according to Christina Olin-Scheller and Partik Wikström in their study, Författande Fans (49, 47). They also explain that “[the] common denominator for all [who engages in fan fiction writing] is the desire to continue the story and to expand the original’s textual universe” (Författande Fans, 7). Thus, fan fiction can be inspired by almost any kind of text and can be adapted to almost any kind of genre – the only limit is a lack of imagination. Writing fan fiction means being inspired by already existing textual universes i.e. drawing on the principles of imitation, and then using these universes as scaffolds to create a piece of written fiction of one’s own, Olin-Scheller and Wikström explains in their article “Literary Prosumers: Young People’s Reading and Writing in a New Media Landscape” (46). As already stated, fan fiction is not a new phenomenon. The writing of fan fiction is as old as itself, except the term for it is new due to copy-right laws, and the Internet is a tool that offers new possibilities for the consumption, production, and spread of fan fiction stories (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 9). Thus, fan fiction writers engage in a creative process of imitation, emulation, and practice with texts – just as Bergling did with music.

It is important for teachers to understand the literacy practices of their students and how these promote language learning (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 13). Olin- Scheller and Wiktröm explains that students today tend to be digital natives, meaning that using and communicating via computers is a natural part of their lives, whereas teachers tend to be digital immigrants, meaning the opposite (Författande Fans, 13). So, by making a Larsson 6 connection between the language learning taking place in extra-mural activities, e.g. online fan fiction communities, teachers could make their creative writing assignments relevant and meaningful to their students. With the use of the Internet, fan fiction writers can interact with each other in fan fiction communities, making them part of an online participatory culture. Interaction is important, because being part of a fan fiction community with likeminded people creates a feeling of affiliation (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 72). Affiliation, Black explains in her article “Access and Affiliation: The literacy and practices of English language learners in an online fanfiction community”, is important because it is connected to a person’s identification with the language being used and/or learned, with the of their interest, and with the practice of writing (119). In the steering documents for the subject of English in Swedish upper-secondary school, i.e. the national curriculum, the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) recognizes that “Det engelska språket omger oss i vardagen” ‘The English language surrounds us in our daily lives’ (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”, 53). This is relevant because many students engage in extra-mural language activities which affects their language learning and teachers would do well to recognize this, just as Skolverket does. Furthermore, the steering documents state that the teaching of English should promote language awareness (ibid). In the commentary material for the subject of English, language awareness is described as “förmågan till medveten reflektion kring vad språk är, hur språket används på varierande sätt och för skilda syften, samt medvetenhet om hur man på olika sätt kan lära sig språk och utveckla sin språkförmåga” ‘the ability to reflect upon what language is, how it is used in various ways and for different purposes, that one can learn a language in different ways, and how to develop one’s own language skills’ (Skolverket, “Ämneskommentar”, 7). Thus, by understanding students’ extra-mural activities, teachers gain insight into the language learning taking place outside of school.

The national curriculum does not explicitly state which material to work with, nor does it state how to work with it. Thus, it is the teacher who makes the pedagogical decisions of what material to use, and how to use it. This freedom allows teachers to design their teaching as they consider it appropriate to meet the students’ needs and to meet the goals in the national curriculum. Furthermore, the commentary material for the English subject states that students should be provided with models to develop their language repertoire, which suggests that imitation exercises are suitable to use in the teaching of the English subject (Skolverket, “Ämneskommentar”, 8). Furthermore, the national curriculum states that “Eleverna ska ges Larsson 7 möjlighet att, genom språkanvändning i funktionella och meningsfulla sammanhang, utveckla en allsidig kommunikativ förmåga” ‘Students shall be given opportunities to, through the use of language in functional and meaningful contexts, develop all-round communicative skills’ (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”, 53). The all-round communicative skills include reception i.e. reading, viewing and listening; production i.e. writing and speaking; and interaction i.e. communication (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”, 1). With fan fiction reception is the starting point, production is the written fan fiction story, and interaction is the communication taking place in online communities between writer, beta-reader and reviewers. By working with fan fiction, teachers can thus address the five aims of the English subject syllabus, depending on what material the students will be working with and how the teacher designs the assignment. A suggestion of how fan fiction could be incorporated into the teaching of the courses English 5 and English 6 will be presented in a lesson plan to conclude the analysis section of this essay. The material, which the analysis and the lesson plan will be based upon, is J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Rowling’s book series about the wizard Harry Potter is popular to use as a base for fan fiction, and fan fiction communities focused on Rowling’s world of witchcraft and wizardry are well-established. Although the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone primarily appeals to a younger , it has a strong fan base consisting of people of all ages and genders. Thus, Harry Potter is a well-known and Hogwarts is a familiar . Because the genre of fantasy is highly engaging, those who have not read the Harry Potter-books are likely to have seen the film adaptations. Therefore, the students are likely to have some understanding of Harry and the world of Hogwarts. Since it is well-established, engaging and familiar, the Harry Potter stories are suitable to use in the upper-secondary classroom.

Though the practice of imitation is ancient and has been used to promote language learning (Corbett, 243), it is not often actively, explicitly, or deliberately applied in the teaching of English in Swedish upper-secondary school to any great extent. Imitation has been thought to weaken the students’ imagination and critical thinking (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 35), which could explain why it is not often applied in teaching. This underuse of imitation exercises puzzled me. At the same time, the possibilities of using fan fiction in formal learning settings intrigued me. Teachers might think imitation will undermine their students’ critical thinking and be reluctant to use fan fiction-inspired assignments in their teaching explains Olin-Scheller and Wikström (“Literary Prosumers”, Larsson 8

46), but when they understand how such assignments promote language learning, they might consider using them in their classroom.

In order to motivate the use of fan fiction-inspired assignments in formal learning settings, I set out to explain how the creative process of imitation, and the engagement in the extra- mural activity of engaging in fan fiction communities, are relevant for language learning in the background section of this essay. In the analysis section, I will first do a discourse analysis of an authentic fan fiction story, and the reviews of it, in order to show the language learning taking place. Second, I will present a lesson plan, to suggest how fan fiction could be incorporated into the classroom.

When deciding to use an authentic fan fiction-story from fanfiction.net to conduct a discourse analysis, some ethical considerations had to be made. In their study, Olin-Scheller and Wikström decided to change the writers’ names, even though the writers already write under in respect of the participants’ integrity (Författande Fans, 8). Black did the same changes in her study. However, she adds that the users of fan fiction sites are aware that their published material may be used for analysis by others and that they implicitly give their consent for this use when posting their work (Access and affiliation, 121). Therefore, I found it fair to retrieve authentic examples from fanfiction.net to use in the analysis of this essay without the participants’ informed consent. Nevertheless, I have anonymised the writer, the story, and the reviewers. To find a story to use in my analysis, I searched the site fanfiction.net. I based my search on four criteria: it should be based on the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; it should be age appropriate; it should be reviewed; and it should feature a changed point-of-view or missing scene. Fanfiction.net contains over 87,000 stories about Rowling’s character Harry Potter and 493 of them are based on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I narrowed my search by selecting; medium: books; category: Harry Potter; and rating2: K+, which gave me 115 stories to choose from. I then browsed for reviewed stories featuring changed point-of-views or missing scenes. After having read several stories, I found one that features both a changed point-of-view and a missing scene, which also had been reviewed 55 times. This story and the reviews are attached in Appendix 1.

To design a lesson plan, I found inspiration in the guide How to Write Fanfiction by HowExpert Press and Karen Burkey. Thus, the purpose of this essay is to examine fan fiction

2 For a list of fan fiction ratings with explanations, see Appendix 3. Larsson 9 activities, as well as to examine how fan fiction-inspired activities could be incorporated into the teaching of English in upper-secondary school to make creative writing relevant and meaningful to students. My research questions are as follow: what could teachers learn by understanding the language learning practices of fan fiction communities? and how could the teaching of English 5 and 6 in Swedish upper-secondary school draw upon the language learning promoted by fan fiction communities?

Background

In order to examine how participation in fan fiction communities promote language learning and literacy development, I will begin by examining the importance of imitation, because it is a core component of fan fiction-writing. Second, I will explain what an online fan fiction community is and how it operates by using the site fanfiction.net as an example. Third, I will examine aspects of the fan fiction community to show how they are conducive to language learning and literacy development. Fourth, and lastly, I will address the importance of making assignments relevant and meaningful to students.

Imitation An important part of writing fan fiction is imitation. Corbett explores “the theory and practice of imitation in the rhetorician’s sense of emulating models” in his article (243). Referring to ancient Greece and the Renaissance in his , Corbett explains the triadic relationship between theory, imitation and practice. Theory can be described as the study of the underlying system and/or method of a model; imitation as the study and attempt to something similar as the model; and practice as the production of something of one’s own. Furthermore, Corbett says that this triadic relationship comes natural to us, because when we grow up and acquire new skills, we first imitate, then practice and later learn more about the skill in question (243). The three components of the triad should be balanced, says Corbett, but the focus of his article lies on imitation: the attempts to do something similar as someone else. Thus, the purpose of imitation was not to copy others, but to learn from others use of expressions, style etc. Corbett also explains that “The motto of imitation was ‘Observe and do likewise.’ Imitation asked the student to observe the manner or pattern or form or means used by a model and then attempt to emulate the model.” (244). Imitation-exercises consisted Larsson 10 traditionally of two steps, Corbett explains; Analysis and Genesis. The former step was a close study of a model, guided by a teacher, and the latter step was the attempt to produce something similar to the analysed model. Genisis, Corbett notes, is closely connected with practice, proving the close linkage of the triadic components described above. He concludes his article saying that “[the internalization of structures is what] unlocks our powers and sets us free to be creative, original, and ultimately effective. Imitate that you may be different.” (italics in the original text, 250). Therefore, the practice of imitation enables development of literacy, and literary devices. Moreover, imitation forms a basis for fan fiction writing, because the writers study a model, e.g. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, to understand the underlying system, in this instance, Rowling’s style of writing. They then attempt to do something similar in order to produce a text of their own.

Related to the principles of imitation is James Paul Gee’s stance of establishing a connection between old and new knowledge by making it relevant (2). Gee explains in his book Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling, that he was a theoretical linguist who became an educational linguist with an interest in “how language and learning work in school and in society at large” (2), Gee argues that “people learn new ways with words, in or outside of school, only when they find the worlds to which these words apply compelling” (3). For fan fiction-writers, a literary work is the compelling world from which they learn new ways with words. Gee explains that learning is enabled when it is associated with something familiar i.e. it is more likely that the students learn something from then school assignments if they have some previous experience related to the assignment, than if they have not encountered it before. In other words, by using a familiar book, such as one from the Harry Potter series, and combining it with familiar practice, such as writing fan fiction, to create a new assignment, teachers build a bridge between old and new knowledge. It is thus in the teachers’ interest to make the assignments relevant to their students by connecting school assignments with students’ extra-mural activities. Imitating something “old” to create something “new”, as fan fiction-writers do, aligns with Gee’s notion that people learn what is made relevant to them. Thus, the choice of model text to use as scaffold is important.

It is also important to distinct imitation from . Imitation is a guided practice or training experience, not stealing (Sellers, 41). Without acknowledgement, however, it is plagiarism. In other words, when using others’ texts as models to imitate, it is always important to remember to acknowledge the original source, otherwise you are breaking the Larsson 11 law (Sellers, 41). Sellers compares imitation of texts with how cover bands make their own versions of other musicians’ songs and thereby she highlights that you imitate what inspires you (42). Teachers could use this likeness between cover bands and fan fiction writers to describe the differences between imitation and plagiarism to their students.

Imitation works, says Sellers, and adds that whether you are conscious of it or not, you are always inspired by others (41), which aligns with Corbett (243). Thus, it is possible to create a work of art and then afterwards discover possible similarities to other works of art made by other artists. The inspiration from other artists’ influences are then unintentional, whereas the inspiration is intentional when it comes to imitation. Taking inspiration from other writers means studying their way of writing and “[by] carefully examining [...] how other writers work [...] you become a better writer”, because “nothing forces you to read more closely, more carefully than imitation”, according to Sellers (40). Moreover, “Imitation is a time- honored way to understand more deeply and to get more proficient at any art or skill, whether it’s writing [… or] composing [music]”, as Sellers puts it (40). Literary researcher Deborah Brandt aligns with Sellers’ stance on imitation in her book The Rise of Writing: Redefining Mass Literacy as she explains that by reading as a writer, you pay attention to stylistic techniques (124). In addition, Brandt says that perhaps this i.e. reading lite a writer, gets you feeling that you can write too (124). Brandt argues that to become a successful writer you should both read and write as a writer (115, 124). Imitating others scaffolds you to do that.

Imitation, as previously stated, has been thought to weaken the student’s imagination and critical thinking (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 35). In contrast, imitation, they say, allowed for the student to build a language repertoire and vocabulary (ibid). As Sellers, they address the matter of plagiarism and how it has been confused with imitation. However, they refute this notion of confusion between imitation and plagiarism and explain that plagiarism is a matter of passive copying, whereas imitation is an active process where you are conscious of the fact that you are imitating and learning from a model, i.e. emulating a model (Författande Fans, 36). Fans are aware of the gradual building of knowledge, say Olin-Scheller and Wikström (Författande Fans, 39), and by emulating model works, the writer develops a style of his/her own and ultimately, they may write an original themselves. To write fan fiction can therefore be regarded as preparation to become an author. Therefore, by emulating model works in school, students can develop a style of their own.

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Fan fiction communities An online fan fiction community forms when fan fiction writers, with the use of the Internet and computers, create a forum to be able to share their stories with each other. By engaging in a forum, the writers are also able to interact with one another, to discuss the stories that have been shared, and thus, learn from each other. The fan fiction community in focus in this essay is the site fanfiction.net. The tagline for the site is “unleash your imagination”, which can be interpreted as both an urging and an encouragement for people to join the site and put their ideas into print. And many have. For instance, many fans of the book series about Harry Potter have uploaded their stories and there are currently more than 87,000 such stories3. When joining fanfiction.net, you create an account, select a username, and then you write a presentation of yourself. After that, you can interact with other users of the site.

When publishing a story, the writer ads information about it that helps readers to navigate on the site. This information makes up the paratext of fan fiction. In , paratext refers to “[a] textual item that serves some supplementary function in relation to a principle text that it describes, introduces, justifies, or explains” (Baldick, 267). In her article “The Paratext of Fan Fiction”, Maria Lindgren Leavenworh examines the function of in fan fiction communities and how they help readers to navigate on fan fiction sites. The paratextual features in focus in her article are filing options, tags, Author Notes (A/N), and epitextual conversation. By conducting a case study of the writer CavalierQueeen and her interaction with her readers, Lindgren Leavenworth found that the writer’s “paratextually guides the reception of the text”, i.e. it corresponds with the readers’ expectations of the story being written by amateurs and not by professionals (44). Moreover, Lindgren Leavenworth found that paratextual information of ratings and warnings demonstrates the writer’s responsibility toward the imagined audience. The A/N, she says, is fan fiction’s equivalent to the preface in a book, in which the writer may inform his/her audience about the context of the story i.e. where it takes place and which characters are involved, and what inspired the writer to produce it. The story, Lindgren Leavenworth explains, can be influenced to be written, or to take a certain direction due to requests from readers, and these writer’s decisions are usually communicated in the A/N, as are readers’ appreciation. The epitextual conversation, i.e. the reviews of a story, Lindgren Leavenwoth found, demonstrates the collaborative element of fan fiction communities, because readers’ suggestions and writers’ revisions inspired by the suggestions are central in the fan fiction- (53).

3 July, 2018. Larsson 13

Concluding her article, Lindgren Leavenworth says that fan fiction stories cannot be separated from their paratext even if changes are made, and that readers make the decision to either engage in the story or not based upon the existing paratextual information. Thus, the paratextual information of fan fiction is essential in fan fiction communities, since it enables the interaction between writers and readers.

Aspects of Fan Fiction Communities Conducive to Language Learning and Literacy Development

Interaction The interaction between writers and readers is part of the appeal of online fan fiction writing. When engaging in an activity you enjoy, in this instance, reading literature and expanding the textual universe of a book by creative writing, and then to be able to interact with others who share these interests, it establishes a sense of affiliation. In her article, Black set out to examine how fanfiction.net provide English language learners “with access to literacy learning and literacy-related practices in areas where many school-based programs have not succeeded” and how virtual environments and digital communication may “scaffold or promote affiliation with composing texts and interacting with others in English” (“Access and Affiliation”, 119). Black was intrigued by the various levels of engagement in writing and wanted to explore “what was so compelling about [online fan fiction communities] that adolescent [English language learners] would spend hours writing and reviewing fictions in English, when [she] could barely get many of her students to write a one-page essay in English class” (Access and affiliation, 118). Black conducted her study by employing ethnographic and discourse analyses. She did this by signing up as a user on fanfiction.net and participating on the site by posting and reviewing fictions. In doing so, she observed other users of fanfiction.net. These users make up the participants of her study. Black found that English language learners could partake in the fan fiction community even though they were not confident in their English language proficiency (121). Moreover, she found that paratextual information i.e. the public symbols of affiliation, such as information about age, nationality, preferences and dislikes, enables connections between members of the fan fiction community, and establishes the sense of affiliation (121). Black also found that the English language learners lacking confidence to post stories of their own could participate in literary discussions by reviewing other members’ stories (122). When they do post a story of their Larsson 14 own, the reviews most often concern the communicative function, rather than form, according to Black (122). She states that this focus on a writer’s scaffold the English language learner to develop both confidence and skills. Furthermore, the of fan fiction i.e. imitating one text to create another, “relieves the pressure of having to create a wholly new setting or cast of characters”, thus scaffolding them to become skilled authors (124). Furthermore, Black found that peer-reviewing with positive feedback and constructive criticism is an integral aspect of fan fiction communities, as is metatalk about composition (125). Black concludes her article with a discussion about fan fiction’s implications for education. She states that fanfiction.net exemplifies how technology supports “meaningful uses of language and literacy that are crucial not only for [English language learners] but for all students in their academic endeavours.” (italics in original, 126). Participation in networked computer environments could, according to Black, help English language learners become literate i.e. being able to express their selves and understand others, in the targeted language, in this case, the English language (127). Thus, participants of fan fiction communities engage in activities that help them develop useful skills of writing and discussing literature.

Feedback In the epitextual conversation, feedback on both content and form, as well as creativity is central. According to Tricia Hedge in her book Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, feedback is important because “confidence comes with practice and with achieving success at an early stage”, thus, the feedback needs to be positive and constructive (255). In fan fiction communities, positive and constructive criticism is encouraged, whereas there is a non-tolerance towards negative comments i.e. “flaming" (Li). Positive and constructive feedback from reviewers is important, and for that reason the fan writer rates his/her text to signal which age group the text is appropriate for (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 18). The fan writer thus writes with the reader in mind, says Olin-Scheller and Wikström, and the feedback from a reviewer often affects the continuation of the story, its content and form, and the development of the characters (Författande Fans, 19). In order to work with fan fiction-inspired assignments, teachers should also incorporate the aspect of peer-reviewing, so students get to practice giving and receiving feedback in a constructive manner. Essential in sociocultural theory is participation and cooperation in social contexts, according to Bo Lundahl in Engelsk språkdidaktik:Texter, kommunikation, språkutveckling Larsson 15

(205). Moreover, Lundahl says that “Only by talking and cooperating with others – and by entering a dialogue with different kinds of texts – are we able to gain new knowledge” (Lundahl, 206). Thus, it is motivated for teachers to let their students practice peer-reviewing.

Literature and Literacy The teaching of literature often focuses on the thinking generated by reading explains Judith Langer in her book Litterära föreställningsvärldar: Litteraturundervisning och litterär förståelse (13). Langer, whose focus primarily lies on discussions about literature, says that

With the aid of literature, students learn to explore both their own possibilities, as well as the possibilities of humanity. Literature aids them to find themselves, imagine others, value differences, and to seek justice. They become part of a context and strive for clarity. They become the literary thinkers we need to create the prerequisites for tomorrow (13).

When talking about literature it might be that it is the reading of literature, rather than the writing of literature that first comes to mind. In the quote above, no distinction is made between the two skills, therefore it is possible to regard the skills as inseparable. However, the common opinion, Brandt explains, is that reading comes before writing and that reading shapes the intellect to prepare it for writing (89). Brandt argues that “writing now is becoming the more prominent grounds of mass literate experience” and therefore, it is important to understand the development of writing in today’s society (91). As demonstrated earlier, participation in fan fiction communities is based on the practice of writing; however, the premise of joining literary discussions is reading. This shows that the skills of reception and production cannot be separated. Indeed, Brandt says reading and writing are inseparable skills, though it is possible to put different emphasis on them (92). In Langer’s definition, literacy means that “we manipulate the language, and the thoughts we use to create meaning, and to mediate meaning; that it also means different ways of thinking, ways we learn in the many contexts in life.” (13). This definition will be used in this essay.

Creating Relevant and Meaningful Assignments Continuing a story or changing the narrative perspective are common practices within the classroom but showing that this sort of activity also takes place outside of school may motivate the otherwise unengaged students to participate in the task, say Olin-Scheller and Larsson 16

Wikström (Författande Fans, 74). Lundahl says that “success in school requires a positive approach to texts” (208) and that students need to view themselves as readers and writers (208). Texts must be challenging so the student encounters new words and structures, which are not too difficult to understand (Lundahl, 209). Challenges may be presented by the assignments and expectations from teachers. (Lundahl, 209). Thus, teachers need to create assignments that balance the difficulty of the text with the difficulty of the assignment.

Designing assignments that appeals to all students is difficult, if not impossible. Olin- Scheller and Wikström found that fan fiction-writers considered the writing-assignments in school to be “difficult and boring” and that school expected them to produce something original (Författande Fans, 45). Having to come up with new, original ideas for writing puts pressure on students (Sellers, 41). Thus, many students find it difficult to begin writing (Dysthe et al, 13-14). Using already established textual universes as a point of departure would be a constructive way to work with texts in class (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 45). To relieve “the pressure of having to create a wholly new setting or cast of characters”, and to make the composition process easier (Black, “Access and affiliation”, 124), teachers could take inspiration from fan fiction writing. Though students may influence a teacher’s pedagogical decisions, it is not possible for teachers to cater every individual student’s wishes. However, teachers would do wise to pay attention to what sparks their students’ interests, for it is in the teacher’s interest to create creative writing assignments that are engaging. The students, in turn, are of course expected to do the tasks assigned to them. Though it cannot be expected, it can be hoped that the students give the teacher’s presented assignment a fair try and that they reflect upon the benefits of the writing assignments, because “in order to grow as a writer, in order to expand your repertoire of talents, it’s vital that you stretch yourself and try things, even things you don’t, at first, especially love” (Sellers, 407).

The creative process of imitation, and the engagement in fan fiction communities are relevant for language learning because, the scaffolds provided by model texts and the encouraging climate within the community could inspire teachers in their designing of creative writing assignments. By incorporating authentic literary materials and creative activities inspired by fan fiction practices, teachers can bridge the gap between extra-mural and intra-mural learning activities, making literary engagement relevant and meaningful to their students.

Larsson 17

Analysis

In the analysis section, I will conduct a discourse analysis of an authentic fan fiction story from the website fanfiction.net in order to demonstrate aspects of participation in a fan fiction community with importance for teaching. First, I will analyse a piece of fan fiction writing and its paratext, including the reviews which makes out the epitextual conversation, in order to show examples of the language learning taking place within fan fiction communities. The writer of the story is here simply referred to as “The Writer”. Since “The Writer” uses a pseudonym, which in turn is anonymized for this essay, as well as the fact that the fan fiction scene is dominated by females (Olin-Scheller and Wikström, “Literary Prosumers”, 43), the female pronoun will be used in this essay. Equally simple, the story is here referred to as “The Story”, and the reviewers as “Reviewer 1-54”. Also, “The Reviewers” are numbered in accordance with the date their review was published. “The Story” with its paratextual information and the reviews are attached in Appendix 1, to which the references in this analysis refer to. Second, I will present a lesson plan, to suggest how fan fiction could be incorporated into the classroom.

“The Story” and its Paratext

From Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to a Fan Fiction Story To set “The Story” in context, it is necessary to start this analysis by looking at the work which has inspired “The Writer”: the fantasy novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling. Apart from the first chapter of the novel, Rowling tells the story from Harry’s point-of-view, thus letting the reader share his experiences of growing up and entering the magical world of Hogwarts. By writing in this manner, Rowling introduces both reader and to her imagined world of wizards and witchcraft. That is to say, the reader is discovering the wizarding world alongside Harry. Also, she lets Harry make associations between the wizarding-world with the Muggle-world4, making it comprehensible for the reader. However, by mainly following Harry’s train-of-thoughts, the reader is left to imagine for themselves what the story would be like from another character’s point-of-view, as they must imagine what could have happened in scenes which Harry did not take part in.

4 “Muggles” is the British wizards’ term for non-magic people in Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Larsson 18

These sorts of questions are what opens up for fan writing, and present teachers with possibilities to create assignments for creative writing.

It is apparent that the principle of imitation is central in the production of “The Story”. Most obvious, without Rowling’s original as inspiration, “The Writer” could not have invented a version of her own. “The Writer” explains that she “always [wondered] what [happened] in those missing, yet implied scenes that seem to pop up in Harry Potter books.” Thus, the reason to why she came to write “The Story”, was that she imagined what a missing scene could be like. This generated inspiration for her to imitate Rowling’s original, and then to publish it for others to read. Thus, Rowling’s original both functioned as a source of inspiration, and as a scaffold for “The Writer”. This double function would serve teachers well when designing assignments for their students to practice their creative writing skills.

In the paratext of “The Story”, “The Writer” describes her story as one containing mild angst and that it is set in an alternate universe5. Within fan fiction communities, angst means that the story contains an “angsty centred on a character/characters who are brooding, sad, or in anguish” (Wikipedia.org). I agree that “The Story” features anxiety. For example, it displays Hermione’s worries over how badly things could have turned out: “There had been those lost minutes, lost minutes that could have cost Harry his life”. However, I disagree to it being set in an alternate universe, because it does take place within Hogwarts i.e. the characters are not set in a universe other than their own. To use fan fiction in their teaching, teachers need some basic understanding of the concepts in use so the students, in turn, uses the concepts correctly. Otherwise the students will not be able to signal what may be expected by reading the paratext to their potential readers, which is an important aspect of fan fiction writing within fan fiction communities.

Like most other fan fiction writers, “The Writer” puts in a disclaimer and gives credit to Rowling for the characters and the , indeed, she even says some of the dialogue in her story is “stolen” from Rowling’s original. However, her use of original lines demonstrates an attention to details, which will also be further explored later on. In the paratext, moreover, “The Writer” presents her story with a question: “What happened when Hermione went back to get Ron after letting Harry retrieve the Philosopher’s Stone?” and she rates it as being suitable for mature children. The function of ratings will be addressed later on. Furthermore, “The Writer” sets her imagined scene in clear relation to the original work, thus making it

5 For a list of fan fiction concepts, see the glossary attached in Appendix 2. Larsson 19 easier for the reader to follow her story. She then describes how she pondered over what might have happened when Harry and Hermione parted after having solved the challenges that protected the Philosopher’s stone, resulting in the story “The Story”. “The Writer’s” way of formulating questions to the text she has read could be used by teachers as an example of how to generate ideas, which would aid the students when working with creative writing assignments inspired by fan fiction. Using a reading journal to write down questions, comments, and ideas while reading would be a useful strategy for students to employ in a fan fiction inspired task.

“The Story” begins with the use of dialogue between Hermione and Harry, borrowed from Rowling’s original. Compared with the original lines, there is only a change of verb in “The Story”, because Hermione ran through the fire in the fan fiction version, whereas she walked in the original. (The original dialogue is found on page 308 in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.) This change of verb can be explained by the fact that the original is told from Harry’s point-of-view, whereas “The Writer’s” version is told from Hermione’s perspective and the characters’ perception of the same may therefore differ. What “The Writer” achieves with her story is to both describe a missing scene and tell it from another character’s point-of-view. Because it does so, it may be used by teachers to introduce to students as an example of how to write a fan fiction story of their own.

“The Writer’s” attention to detail can be seen in her insert of Harry screaming “LIAR”. This sets a time-frame and intertwines her imagined turn of events with Rowling’s actual turn of events. After Harry and Hermione parted, Harry went on trough the black flames and into the last chamber (Rowling, 309). He there discovered “the man with two faces”, one of which was Voldemort, who said that Harry’s parents had died begging for mercy, whereby Harry in response screams “LIAR” (Rowling, 310, 316). Meanwhile, Hermione, in the fan fiction version, tends to Ron and tries to get him on his feet. When she hears the cry “‘LIAR!’ … unmistakably Harry’s voice screaming from a few rooms away”, she quickens her : “‘We have to go’, Hermione said hurriedly. She pulled Ron along, arm firmly wrapped around his middle.” The events in the fan fiction version has thus taken the same time as the events in the original. Another noticeable detail is that in the original, Professor Dumbledore gives a plausible explanation to Harry about why he had not received Hermione’s owl but still got back to Hogwarts in time, saying “we must have crossed in mid-air” (Rowling, 319). “The Writer” gives her explanation to why Hermione’s owl did not reach Dumbledore, i.e. as Hermione tended to Ron, the owl was never sent. Instead, Hermione informed Dumbledore of Larsson 20 what was happening when he suddenly appeared at Hogwarts. Again, this work of fan fiction could be used by teachers as an example of how to write a piece of fan fiction and, also of how to incorporate the original into their version of the story.

“The Story” Reviewed – Engaging in an Epitextual Conversation When reading the reviews of “The Writer’s” fan fiction story “The Story”, several aspects examined in the background section becomes apparent. First, it is again apparent that imitation is central in fan fiction writing. “Reviewer 1” is one reviewer who comments on “The Writer’s” ability to write like Rowling, saying “The characters are actually in character and the writing’s like Rowling’s too! Always a plus!” The ability to “write like” the original author demonstrates “The Writer’s” ability to mimic someone else’s style of writing. It also demonstrates both “The Writer’s” and the “reviewer’s” attention to detail. The motto of imitation i.e. “Observe and do likewise” has thus been implemented (Corbett, 244). “The Writer” demonstrates her awareness of plagiarism as well. In her Author Note, she says she “stole some of the dialogue” from the original. However, this could be regarded merely as incorporation of a piece of the original into the fan fiction story to set it in context, because she gives credit where credit is due in her introduction of “The Story”: “All of that [character, plot, etc] belongs to M. J.K. Rowling, who writes the … Harry Potter series”. This demonstrates an awareness of ownership, since “The Writer” gives credit to Rowling for inventing the world of Harry Potter, and disclaims any ownership regarding this said world. “The Writer” has thus created her own version of a passage in a book that is familiar to her, and she honours the original author. Thereby, she, like cover bands who creates their versions of known songs (Sellers, 41), does not claim that the characters or plot are hers. Again, when working with fan fiction inspired assignments, the distinction between imitation and plagiarism needs to be made clear to students.

Second, “The Writer” demonstrates how important the aspects of interaction, feedback and peer-reviewing are for fan fiction writers. In the presentations of her story, she addresses her readers and encourages them to tell her what they thought of her work: “All criticisms welcomed and appreciated”. Moreover, “The Writer” expresses her gratitude towards her “editor” in her author’s note, which indicates that users of fanfiction.net regard each other as resources for learning. Overall, the reviews were positive. The reviewers expressed how they enjoyed reading “The Story”, e.g. saying, ”wow, that was amazing! I really liked it” Larsson 21

(“Reviewer 53”). Many reviewers also encouraged her to keep writing with comments such as “Write on!” (“Reviewer 37”). Four of the reviewers also said they wanted to read more stories by “The Writer” (“Reviewers 35, 21, 15, 13”). Furthermore, “Reviewer 48” shows her/his appreciation of creativity by saying “You have creatively and accurately portrayed what probably happened” (my italics) and “Reviewer 11” thinks “The Writer” presented a “Great idea!”. In addition, “Reviewer 30” demonstrates the imaginative ability needed to put together a fan fiction story in his/her review, by saying “I had always thought about what Ron and Hermi were doing then, but nothing as good as this came to mind”. These reviewers may be said to recognise the process behind “The Story”, since creative writing requires some degree of imagination as well as a creative ability, and internal motivation to realise it into print. In formal learning settings, the motivation would probably be more external than internal, though.

Though the reviews keep on the positive note, not all are without critique. “Reviewer 29” says s/he detected “little scab/detail that [s/he] wanted [to] pick at”; however, no examples of “scabs” are provided. “Reviewer 42” also critiqued “The Writer”, questions a detail of “The Story”: “how did neville get out of the full body bind?” Noticeable, both of these reviewers keep an encouraging , saying “The Story” was “really good” (“Reviewer 42), and that “Overall, it’s fantastic” (“Reviewer 29”). “The Story” was reviewed 55 times, or 54 to be exact, because one of the reviews were “The Writer’s” response to the feedback given to her. Thus, the interactive aspect of fan fiction writing becomes apparent in the reviews. As already mentioned, the writer addresses the readers in her Author Note and the readers respond by reviewing, often by using the pronoun “you”. This familiarity can be viewed as an effect of the feeling of affiliation that have been established on the site, since “The Writer” and “The Reviewers” connect to each other via the shared fandom, as Black describes (“Access and Affiliation”, 119). The writer can respond to the reviews, as “The Writer” did when refuting “Reviewer 4’s” suggestion of “The Writer” being a H/H shipper, i.e. imagining Harry and Hermione in a romantic relationship. Furthermore, in the reviews of “The Story”, “Reviewer 27’s” comment to “The Writer”, “Hey, punk. As usual, a great story”, suggests that these users have interacted with each other before. Achieving an accepting, supporting, and encouraging classroom environment would presumably be a goal for any teacher. By using the interaction, feedback, and peer-reviewing that takes place within fan fiction communities as examples, teachers could present concrete examples of how to comment on and critique Larsson 22 others’ work in a constructive manner. That way, the students hopefully comes to regard each other as learning resources – as fan fiction writers tend to do.

Third, the reviews demonstrate discussions about literature, and some reviewers use literary metalanguage to do so. “Reviewer 43” identifies “The Story” as a “missing scene”, as did “Reviewer 39”. “Reviewer 5”, for example, comments on the use of point-of-view and identifies Rowling’s decision to mostly present Harry’s perception and experience of the events at Hogwarts. Looking at all 55 reviews, seven literary terms is accurately used: ; point-of-view; missing scene/fill-in-the-scene; plot; ; similes; and scene. Overall, those who reviewed “The Story” enjoyed reading it, but only some of them could say why they enjoyed it and/or use literary terms to describe it. In other words, most of those who reviewed “The Story” lacked a meta-language, which enables discussions about literature. However, they also displayed a general appreciation and reflection of literature, which demonstrates literary thinking, as presented by Langer (13). Teachers may introduce literary meta-language to their students by using literary terms when discussing the model text(s) as well as the students’ texts, when working with fan fiction in formal learning settings. This procedure would align with Langer’s suggestions of how to introduce literary devices in literary conversations.

Fourth, the reviews demonstrate an understanding of intertextuality. The obvious understanding of intertextuality is that the reviewers recognise “The Story’s” relation to Rowling’s original narrative about Harry Potter. “Reviewer 51” says s/he “never imagined or thought about what happened to hermione and ron in the first book”, thus putting “The Story” in direct relation to the original. In other words, “The connection between the writers’ stories and the original media sources is clearly an example of intertextuality”, as Black presented in “Access and affiliation” (124), which is also true in this case. Teachers may use fan fiction stories to demonstrate to their students how texts can form connections to other texts.

Fifth, the paratext of “The Story” demonstrates how writers adapt their story to an intended audience. “The Writer” signals that her story is appropriated for children over the age of nine, that it might contain minor violence and mild coarse language, but not contain any adult themes by rating it as K+. “The Writer”, has succeeded in addressing a younger audience, since there are no curse words or other foul language, nor any violence. This indicates an awareness of recipients, and an ability to adapt “The Story” to appeal to them. For teachers, it is important to point out to students that their texts should be appropriate for the intended audience, be it children of a certain age or each other, depending on the teacher’s instructions. Larsson 23

These examples have demonstrated aspects of fan fiction communities which are conducive to language learning and literacy development. Imitation, the basis of fan fiction writing, corresponds with the use of model texts, prescribed in the commentary material to the English subject (Skolverket, “Ämneskommentar”, 8). Interaction, including feedback and peer-reviewing, establishes a feeling of affiliation among the participants of fan fiction sites, as well as an attitude of viewing each other as learning resources. This aligns with the prescriptions of communication in the English curriculum (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”, 1- 2). Literary discussions and literary understanding, which are essential in fan fiction communities, are prescribed in the core contents of English 5 and English 6 (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”, 54, 55, 60, 61). Thus, these aspects of fan fiction communities are relevant for teachers of English in upper-secondary school.

Lesson plan. Activities, which are inspired by fan fiction communities, will here be illustrated in a lesson plan. The assignment will focus on the skill of producing a written text, although it will also involve the skills of reading and communicating. The lesson plan presented is inspired by the strategies presented in the guide by HowExpert Press and Burkey: choosing a fandom; brainstorming ideas; researching the fandom; writing a story; getting a beta-reader; editing the story; and posting the story. Through the incorporation of these strategies into the teaching units, the intention is to develop students’ metalinguistic understanding through making visible and explicit the authorial choices, and the repertoire of possibilities available to them.

When students are assigned to produce fictional texts, they might feel pressured to be original. It is not uncommon to experience a lack of motivation and having difficulties generating new ideas when asked to be creative (Black, “Access and Affiliation, 124; Dysthe et al, 13-14; Olin-Scheller and Wikström, Författande Fans, 45; Sellers, 41). For teachers, it may therefore be a challenge to raise the students’ enthusiasm in class; however, working with fan fiction is a way to get students engaged in creative writing. The standard writing-tip is to write about what you know (Brandt, 132). However, students might not be inclined to put their own stories and experiences into writing, and therefore, fan fiction offers them other known material to write about.

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Design of a Creative Writing Assignment The following suggestion of how to incorporate fan fiction writing into formal learning settings, involves the central aspects of fan fiction activities i.e. imitation, interaction, and literary discussion and literary understanding, and is connected to selected core content of the courses English 5 and English 6 in the syllabus.

This suggested creative writing assignment will not be divided into specific lessons, since both the number of lessons as well as the lessons’ length may vary. Instead, the parts to include when working with fan fiction assignments are presented in bullet points. Moreover, the materials used as examples are Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, and the fan fiction “The Story”, which have been analysed in this essay.

The core content that motivates the incorporation of fan fiction activities in the teaching of English in Swedish upper-secondary school addresses fiction in some way. Fiction constitutes part of the core content in English 5 and in English 6; however, fiction is not addressed in English 7, which is why it is not included in this essay. In Table 1, the core content regarding fiction is compiled. It is thus possible to both compare the syllabi, and to see the progression from one level to the next. Which knowledge requirements to address can be varied, since the fan fiction activities include communication; reception; and production and interaction, which are included in the syllabi, and are here found in Table 1.

The creative writing assignment would include the following stages:

• Introduction. The teacher:

o presents the assignment. o explains the genre of fan fiction. o presents of the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. • The students read the book (alt. listens to an audiobook while following the text) and keeps a reading journal in order to note any questions, thoughts, or ideas generated by the book. • The teacher presents “The Story” and some of the reviews of it, discusses them, and introduces literary terms. • The students select a part of the book to expand upon, using the reading journal as a source of inspiration. • The students outline their stories. • The students draft their stories. Larsson 25

• The teacher uses the reviews of “The Story” as examples of how to deliver constructive criticism, and the students practice the process of peer-reviewing. • The students edit and finish their stories. • The students submit their finished stories, and thus the assignment is done. • To conclude the course unit, the students’ fan fiction stories could be published on a shared school/class platform, or even on a fan fiction site; however, this should be optional, since the assignment is over.

English 5 English 6 Content of “Innehåll och form i olika typer av ”Tema, motiv, form och innehåll i film Communication: fition” ‘Content and form in different och skönlitteratur; författarskap och types of fiction’ (54). skönlitterära epoker” ‘, , form, and content in movies and literature; authorship and literary periods.’ (60). Reception: ”Skönlitteratur och annan fiction” “Samtida och äldre skönlitteratur, dikter, ‘Literature and other types of fiction’ dramatik och sånger” ‘Contemporary and (55). older literature, poems, , and songs” (60). Production and “Bearbetning av egna och andras ”Bearbetning av språk och struktur I egna Interaction: muntliga och skriftliga framställningar och andras muntliga och skriftliga för att variera, tydliggöra och precisera framställningar, även i formella samt för att anpassa till syftet och sammanhang. Anpassning till genre, situationen i detta ingår användning av situation och syfte” ‘Processing of ord och fraser som tydliggör language and structure in one’s own and orsakssammanhang och tidsaspekter” others’ oral and written productions, ‘Processing of one’s own and others’ including formal contexts. Adaption to oral and written productions, to vary, genre, situation, and purpose.’ (61). clarify, and specify, as well as to structure and adapt to purpose and situation. This includes use of words and phrases which clarify causality and aspects of time’ (55). Table 1. Core contents in English 5 and English 6 (Skolverket, “Ämnet Engelska”).

Larsson 26

This presentation of a suggested lesson plan demonstrates how working with fan fiction can meet the goals in the syllabi for English 5 and English 6, and thus, the possibilities of incorporating fan fiction into formal learning settings.

Conclusion

The purpose of this essay has been to explore how participation in fan fiction communities promote language learning and examine how fan fiction-inspired activities could be incorporated into the teaching of English 5 and English 6 in Swedish upper-secondary school to make creative writing relevant and meaningful to students. My research questions were as follow: what could teachers learn by understanding the language learning practices of fan fiction communities? and how could the teaching of English 5 and 6 in Swedish upper- secondary school draw upon the language learning promoted by fan fiction communities?

By understanding the practices of fan fiction communities i.e. the imitation and emulation of model texts; the interaction between writers and reviewer; the giving and receiving of constructive feedback; and the discussions about literature, teachers could learn that fan fiction communities can be a great source of inspiration when working with creative writing assignments. Furthermore, by incorporating extra-mural activities into formal learning settings, the students may regard the assignment relevant and meaningful.

The teaching of English 5 and English 6 in Swedish upper-secondary school could draw upon the language learning promoted by fan fiction communicates by designing lessons which adapt the central aspects of fan fiction activities to suit the syllabi. This is possible since the central aspects of fan fiction communities involve reading; writing; reviewing; and interacting, and the syllabi addresses communicative; receptive; and productive and interactive skills. In short, the literacy skills involved in fan fiction activities correspond with the core content of English 5 and English 6.

The engagement in fan fiction communities are, in short, relevant for language learning, because:

- by imitating, you develop your literacy skills with the aid of a model texts as a scaffold; Larsson 27

- by working with model texts, the students do not need to invent characters, settings, and plot themselves, which aids those students who find creative writing to be too challenging; - by writing, and then possibly posting the work with the intention for it to be read by others, the students learn to adapt their writing to appeal to a certain audience and situation; - by being reviewed, the students learn to be critiqued, to develop their writing further based on relevant feedback, and they learn to use literary devices and literary meta- language; - by reviewing others, the students learn to give critique in a constructive manner.

To conclude this essay as it began: the creative process with practice of imitation and the emulation of models, do apply to language learning.

Suggestions for Future Research This essay does not explore teachers’ attitudes toward the use of imitation exercises and fan fiction-inspired assignments, which would be interesting to examine. Neither does this essay put the suggested lesson plan to the test and cannot present any result of how well it would work. It would therefore be interesting to conduct an intervention study and examine both teachers’ and students’ perception of working with fan fiction inspired assignments.

Larsson 28

Works Cited

Avicii: True Stories. Dir. Levan Tsikurichvili. Perf. Tim Bergling. 2017. Documentary.

Baldick, Chris. Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Clay's Ltd, St. Ives plc, 2015. Print.

Black, Rebecca W. “Access and Affiliation: The literacy and composition practices of English Language learners in an online fanfiction community.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (2005): 118-128. Article.

—. Adolescents and Online Fan Fiction. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2008. Print.

Brandt, Deborah. The Rise of Writing: Redefining Mass Literacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Print.

Corbett, Edward P. J. “The Theory and Practice of Imitation in Clasical Rhetoric.” Compoition and Communication (1971): 243-250. Article.

Dysthe, Olga, Fröydis Hertzberg and Torlaug Lökkensgaard Hoel. Skriva för att lära. Lund: Studentlitteratur, 2014. Print.

Fanfiction.net. www.fanfiction.net. n.d. Web. 05 2018.

Fictionratings.com. www.fictionratings.com. n.d. Web. 07 2018.

Gee, James Paul. Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. London: Routledge, 2004. Print.

Hedge, Tricia. Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.

Helleksson, Karen and Kristina Busse. The Fan Fiction Studies Reader. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2014. Print.

HowExpertPress and Karen Burkey. How to Write Fanfiction. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016. Print.

Kernen, Carolina and Paloma Vangpreecha. “Avicii - P3 Nyheter Dokumentär.” Sveriges Radio, 22 April 2018.

Langer, Judith. Litterära föreställningsvärldar: Litteraturundervisning och litterär förståelse. Göteborg: Daidalos, 2005. Print. Larsson 29

Li, Goungfang. “Literacy Engagement Trough Online and Offline Communities Outside School: English Language Learners' Development as Readers and Writers.” Theory Into Practice (2012): 312-318. Article.

Lundahl, Bo. Engelsk Språkdidaktik. Texter, kommunikation, språkutveckling. 3rd ed. Lund: Studetlitteratur, 2014. Print.

Olin-Scheller, Christina and Patrik Wikström. “Literary Prosumers: Young People's Reading and Writing in a New Media Landscape.” Education Inquiry (2010): 41-56. Article.

Olin-Scheller, Chritina and Patrik Wikström. Författande Fans. Lund: Studentlitteratur, 2010. Print.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. Print.

Sellers, Heather. The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide For Students. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.

Skolverket. “Läroplan, examensmål och gymnasiegemensamma ämnen för gymnasieskola. 2011.” 2011. www.skolverket.se. 01 06 2018.

—. “Ämneskommentar: Om ämnet Engelska.” 2011. www.skolverket.se. 01 06 2018.

—. “Ämnet Engelska.” 2011. www.skolverket.se. 01 06 2018.

Wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction. n.d. Web. 06 2018.

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Appendix 1. Fan Fiction Story and Reviews

This is authentic material from fanfiction.net, consisting of a presentation of a writer, a fan fiction-story written by the author, and reviews of “The Story”.

Fan Fiction-Story of a Missing Scene told from another character’s point-of-view By: The Writer PG for mild angst. Alternate Universe - What happened when Hermione went back to get Ron after letting Harry retrieve the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone?" All criticisms welcomed and appreciated. Rated: Fiction K+ - English - Words: 2,180 - Reviews: 55 - Favs: 1 - Follows: 1 - Published: Sep 19, 2000 - id: number …..…

Larsson 31

Reviews of “The Story”. Page 1

Reviewer 54 chapter 1 . Feb 2, 2005 good job, um... George Weasley's Girlfriend. O.o

Reviewer 53 chapter 1 . Sep 4, 2004 Wow, that was amazing! I really liked it, I'll read the rest of ur fanfics asap!

Reviewer 52 chapter 1 . Jun 12, 2004 Awsome, this was just the story I was looking for right now, and it was perfect. Very sad, and the insite was just incredible, awsome, just awsome!

Reviewer 51 chapter 1 . Aug 12, 2003 Larsson 32

wow that was really good! thinking about what happened with those 'lost minutes' and what they did...this was really great! i never imagined or thought about what happened to hermione and ron in the first book...this was really well written! well done!

Reviewer 50 chapter 1 . Jul 8, 2003 nice story

Reviewer 49 chapter 1 . May 28, 2002 ::blinks:: That is SO creative! Awesome! You are brilliant! Awww, don't cry, Hermione! You were awesome!

~PA~

Reviewer 48 chapter 1 . Dec 22, 2001 Oh my god, that is so wonderful. I love this fic. You have creatively and accurately portrayed what probably happened. I am in awe of you. (I bow down to the computer screen.)

Reviewer 47 chapter 1 . Oct 7, 2001 Cool!

Reviewer 46 chapter 1 . Jun 23, 2001 I likes, I likes...as one of your previous reviewers said, "It ran chills down my spine," or in my case, my left arm...is that a bad thing?

Reviewer 45 chapter 1 . May 26, 2001 just plain great

Reviewer 44 chapter 1 . Apr 21, 2001 Like your story

Reviewer 43 chapter 1 . Apr 15, 2001 Wonderful missing scence! I love your writing, it's the best!

Reviewer 42 chapter 1 . Apr 14, 2001 really good, really sad, but how did neville get out of the full body bind to be convienently outside the common room?

Reviewer 41 chapter 1 . Apr 6, 2001 Ohhh! That was sooo good and sweet!

Reviewer 40 chapter 1 . Apr 3, 2001 Great story!

Reviews for “The Story”. Page 2

Reviewer 39 chapter 1 . Mar 22, 2001 This is really good. I love it when peopel write scenes missing from the books...

Reviewer 38 chapter 1 . Mar 10, 2001 COOL

Reviewer 37 chapter 1 . Feb 5, 2001 Ooh...good. I'd never thought of Hermione's thoughts of that night...well, maybe, but definitely not like this. Write on! Larsson 33

Reviewer 36 chapter 1 . Jan 19, 2001 VERY good...

Reviewer 35 chapter 1 . Jan 1, 2001 Oh wow. That was... depressing. And... moving. And... thought provoking. Very fantastic. Do you have anything else? You'd better, so as I can read them! Ooh, ver;y good...

Reviewer 34 chapter 1 . Dec 24, 2000 wow! you must have really thought this over! Wonderful job!

Reviewer 33 chapter 1 . Dec 7, 2000 Wow. Good job. *Very* good job.

Reviewer 32 chapter 1 . Oct 24, 2000 Ahhhhhhhhh

Reviewer 31 chapter 1 . Oct 24, 2000 Pretty cool...nice idea and you write very well

Reviewer 30 chapter 1 . Oct 24, 2000 AW! That was really one of the best things I've read. I liked it, I had always thought about what Ron and Hermi were doing then, but nothing as good as this came to mind. I really liked it though, write more!

Reviewer 29 chapter 1 . Oct 23, 2000 Bwahaha! Melodrama worth of 'Days of Our Lives'! I'm not exactly the most focused Harry Potter reader in the world (you know that!) so I was just a teensy bit lost for a while, but quickly the plot came into focus. This actually seems more like a H&H fic then and H&R fic, but what do I know? What did I especially like? I liked the whole thing, but I especially enjoyed the metaphors and similies; have I ever told you that you do GREAT metaphors and similes, sometimes without meaning to? I liked the scene where Harry yelled from the other room; it made me laugh, even though everything was very tense. That was a wonderful way not to make everything TOO horribly grim. Overall, it's fantastic, I love everything you write. But there are those ever present little scab/details that I just wanted pick at until they bled. That's just me, though.

Reviewer 28 chapter 1 . Sep 29, 2000 Good good good...I like you because you don't deny the Ron/Hermione dealie. C'mon, now...Anyways, you can have George, as long as you leave Fred to me...yum.

Reviewer 27 chapter 1 . Sep 29, 2000 Hey, punk. As usual, a great story. A really good idea too... maybe you should do that with some of your other . Anyway... great job, keep it up... yadda yadda yadda. :)

Reviewer 26 chapter 1 . Sep 25, 2000 hey j that was good, i really enjoyed it , u know i don't have a long attention span, but i read the whole thing...lol

Mary

Reviewer 25 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 hmmmmmm. that was odd but good.

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Reviews for “The Story”. Page 3

Reviewer 24 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 Nice angst work. A very good story. (I've always loved fill-in-the-scene stories, though!) Good voice, both of Ron and Hermione. A first fic like this is always something to celebrate, so get yourself some munchies and party. Susie Q. ;)

Reviewer 23 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 Oh, wow... this is really good! Yay!

Reviewer 22 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 That's excellent, but it's so long since I read P/SS that I can't remember what was happening in the first place ... wait a minute ... what an EXCELLENT excuse to go read it. Thank you so much.

Reviewer 21 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 Wonderous! I've never seen this before- such a great idea! I love this, I love this, I love this...I'm putting you on AuthorAlert! Eesh, I loved it!

Reviewer 20 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 Very, very nice! Your were dead on and age-appropriate, and I

can completely believe this is what occurred during that time. Great job!

Reviewer 19 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 FANTASTIC! don't stop writing you have a gift!

Reviewer18 chapter 1 . Sep 20, 2000 cool. I don't think this has ever been done before. Ver cool.

Reviewer 17 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 that was great. never went deep in thought of what hermione was actually thinking during that time but she can't blame herself b/c if she woulda stayed she'd probaly been dean in a short time. laters.

Reviewer 16 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Very nice. There were a few minor slips in the POV, but nothing unforgiveable. Overall, I liked this very much- Hermione's character was nearly perfect. You'd be surprised how rare that is. :)

Reviewer 15 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 AWESOME MORE MORE MORE PWEASE! I WUV IT!

Reviewer 14 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Oh that was fantastic! It was really well-written, I love it!

Reviewer 13 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 absolutely perfect, in my opinion. YOU have GOT to write more! )

Reviewer 12 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 That was VERY good! Almost exactly what I thought, too! : )

Reviewer 11 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 That was such a good story! Great idea! Keep writing! :-)

Reviewer 10 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 good

Larsson 35

Reviews for “The Story”. Page 4

Reviewer 9 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Simply brilliant! Very well done! I always had kinda pictured it that way, really. I'm curious as to what J.K. says happened...Very good. You managed to capture Hermione's emotions in exactly the way I'd imagined them, but in better words than I could have ever managed. I really liked this. Nice touch at the last bit with "Zee End!" _ teehee...

Reviewer 8 a & b chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 8a & 8b: AWSOME!

8b: Hey! George's mine!

8a: *rolls eyes* Honestly, d'ya think that's really gonna get the girl to change her name? I mean, all those annoying comments I got never made me change my name just 'cuz some ppl were so sure they deserved to be Haruka ever so much more than me!

Reviewer 7 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Oh, I loved this. Ron is so innocent, just the way he should be portrayed, and Hermione all angsty and anxious and worrysome about both her friends. Brava.

Reviewer 6 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 ooohh good

The Writer chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Ahh! Me? A H/H shipper? As if! Nope, R/H all the way... like it's supposed to be. ::winks:: Anyway, I really wanted to remain neutral because this isn't a romance fic. You'll see a bit of romance in my next fic, which is about a n- Oh wait. Not telling. ::grins evilly:: You'll just have to wait. Geez, reviewing my own fic... how much spare time *do* I have?

Reviewer 5 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 VERY GOOD! *applauds you* I love fics that discuss stuff that we know happeneed, but we didn't get to read it in the books because Harry wasn't there, and it's in his PoV. Kind of. You know what I mean. I loved this. LOVED IT!

Reviewer 4 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 I love the idea of this..but i could sense that you are a Hermione/Harry shipper, where i am a Ron/Hermione shipper. I love this story though..but what do u think of Draco/harry ?

Reviewer 3 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Wow. Just wow. That totally sent shivers down my spine. Great. I luv it. )

Reviewer 2 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 Great idea! I always wonder what happens when Harry's not around especially between Ron and Hermione... I'm such a R/H fan! Write more...After all no one knows exactly what Ron thought at the Yule Ball, he seemed rather interested in finding Hermione. My theory: Before Ron saw Fleur talking with Cedric he was trying to find Hermione, to ask her to the dance-having noticed she was a girl, but then Fleur used her "charm" to try and attract Cedric and Ron got distracted...Interesting theory right...

Reviewer 1 chapter 1 . Sep 19, 2000 ::grins:: I like it. The characters are actually in character and the writing's like JK's, too! Always a plus. ::nods approvingly:: Short and sweet. Tis cool. :)

Larsson 36

Appendix 2. Fan Fiction Glossary

Angst. “A story with an angsty mood centered on a character/characters who are brooding, sad, or in anguish.” (Wikipedia.org).

Alternate Universe (AU). “Characters set in a universe other than their own.” (Wikipedia.org).

Author’s Note (A/N). “Author’s note can be written at any point during a fanfiction (in some cases interrupting the flow of the piece by appearing within the body of a fanfiction) but are typically found directly before the beginning of a fanfiction or after it has concluded, and also at the starts or ends of chapters if the story is updated periodically. A/N’s are used to convey direct messages from the author to the reader regarding the piece.” (Wikipedia.org).

Canon. “Canon is the original story. This means anything related to the original source including the plot, settings, and character development.” (Wikipedia.org).

Crossover. “Works featuring characters, items, or set pieces from multiple fandoms.”

(Wikipedia.org).

Curtainfic. “A subcategory of shipping; describes romantic couples in mundane domestic situations such as picking curtains.” (Wikipedia.org).

Darkfic. ”Stories which are considerably grimmer and/or more depressing than the original. Often in deliberate contrast to the canonical work(s). Not all stories tagged as ‘dark’ count as darkfic.”

(Wikipedia.org).

Disclaimer. “Disclaimers are the author’s notes typically informing readers about who deserves credit for the original source material, and often containing pseudo-legal language disavowing any intent of or alluding to fair use. Such ‘disclaimers’ are legally ineffective and based on misunderstandings of copyright law, particularly confusion between illegal copyright infringement and unethical plagiarism.” (Wikipedia.org).

Fandom. “A fandom is a group of fans of a particular work of fiction […]. Members of a fandom are typically interested in even minor details of the plot/characters of their fandom and often spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, which is why most fan fictions are written by members of a particular fandom(s).” (Wikipedia.org). Larsson 37

Fangirl/fanboy. “A female or male that is a part of one or more fandoms. Furthermore, the term fangirling/fanboying refers to a moment where a person ‘geeks out’ or gets quite exited about a fandom.” (Wikipedia.org).

Fix-fic. “A counterpart to darkfic, or perhaps its supergenre, fix-fic or more commonly known as ‘fix- it’, refers to stories which rewrite canonical events that the author dislike, often because they were depressing or incomprehensible.” (Wikipedia.org).

Fluff. “A story designed to be happy, and nothing else. Plot is usually less relevant in these types of works, as the main focus is to be cheerful.” (Wikipedia.org).

Fusion. “Works blending two settings, and sometimes their casts, into a cohesive whole.”

(Wikipedia.org).

Head canon (HC). “is an add-on to the canon (original story). It may add a certain personality trait to a character that doesn’t necessarily change the plot or a side event that is important to a story.”

(Wikipedia.org).

Hurt/comfort. “A story in which a character is put through a traumatizing experience in order to be comforted.” (Wikipedia.org).

Mary Sue. “tends to refer to an idealized or fictional character lackiong flaws, often representing the author.” (Wikipedia.org).

Multicross self-insert. “Instead of a single the inserted author is taken to many in a row and must usually solve some problem or complete some challenge in each place before moving on. Gaining new powers and occasionally companions from each world is common.”

(Wikipedia.com).

One True Paring (OTP). “the author or reader ships (wishes for a romantic relationship between) certain characters from a fandom.” (Wikipedia.org).

Peggy Sue. “A story in which one of the characters is sent back in time, getting a second chance with knowledge of the plot.” (Wikipedia.org).

Rationalist rewrite. “Rebuild fiction that heavily features critical thinking skills and deductive reasoning.” (Wikipedia.org). Larsson 38

Real Person Fiction (RPF). “Describes fanfiction-like works written about real people, usually celebrities, instead of fictional characters.” (Wikipedia.org).

Rebuild fiction. “A subtype of fix-fic, wherein aspects of the setting and/or characters are rewritten to be more cohesive.” (Wikipedia.org).

Shipping. “A variant of romance focused on exploring the relationship between two or more characters from the original fandom(s).” (Wikipedia.org).

Self-insert (SI). “A genre of fanfiction in which a version of the author is transported to, or discovers they are inside the world the fanfiction is based on. Almost always written in the first person. Fan fictions of this type are also often Fix-fics.” “usually referring to either a story in the eponymous genre or to the author avatar within one.” (Wikipedia.org).

Smut. “Smut is sexually explicit or pornographic writing. This could refer to a small portion of the story, or its entirety. The terms ‘lemon’ and ‘lime’ are often used to allude to the upcoming sexual scene.” (Wikipedia.org).

Songfic. “Songfic […] is a genre of a fan fiction that features a fictional work interpreted with the lyrics of a relevant song.” (Wikipedia.org).

Trigger warning (TW). “Trigger warnings are meant to warn people of content in fics that could be harmful or ‘triggering’ to those who have dealt with situations such as abuse. Fan fiction is tagged using various TWs so that readers may avoid certain content.” (Wikipedia.org).

WAFF. “WAFF is short for ‘Warm and Fuzzy Feelings’ [… and refers] to fanfic that is bright, cheery, and (generally) peaceful, intended to make the author and/or readers feel better.” (Wikipedia.org).

Larsson 39

Appendix 3. Ratings of Fan Fiction

Fiction K. “Intended for general audience 5 years and older. Content should be free of any course language, violence, and adult themes” (fictionratings.com).

Fiction K+. “Suitable for more mature children, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes”

(fictionratings.com).

Fiction T. “Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes” (fictionratings.com).

Fiction M. “Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language” (fictionratings.com).

Fiction MA. “Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes” (fictionratings.com).