Abstract
Fan fiction, a form of literature driven by fans who craft new stories within existing canons, enjoys immense popularity. It thrives within convergence culture which denotes the increasing trend of a particular work spreading out across multiple platforms, leading to an intermedial canon. Examples like Harry Potter showcase how a unified narrative spans books, videogames, movies, and even fan-generated content. Most fan fiction is published and talked about online on platforms such as Archive of Our Own which makes it a valuable resource for computational literary studies. However, two main aspects of fan fiction are often neglected. 1) Even though fan fiction originated in print fanzines, there have been no large-scale studies of pre-internet fan fiction. This project therefore presents the first large-scale comparison of analogue and digital fan fiction. 2) In order to grasp the effects of convergence culture on fan fiction, this study will examine how a complex intermedial canon affects fan fiction. These questions will be computationally approached with a focus on the characters, as these take centre stage in these transformative works. Throughout the project, an open feedback line with fans of fandoms will be maintained, actively involving them in interpreting results. Their insights enrich analyses, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic relationship between fan fiction and convergence culture.
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