Walking in middle-earth: A study of Lord of the Rings-based fan fiction using fan theory

• Main Author: Martinez, Samantha Camille Montoya
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: Lord of the rings films > Social aspects; Motion pictures > Social aspects; Comparative Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2129
• Institution: De La Salle University

Fan fiction is an oft-looked over branch of literature, perhaps because it is not considered credible . However, thanks to the widespread use of the Internet, fan fiction has begun to come out into the limelight - to the delight of some, and to the dismay of others. This thesis is about fan fiction - Lord of the Rings fan fiction, in particular. It attempts to look at fan fiction from the perspective of the fans, using the theories as proposed by Henry Jenkins and Matt Hills. Using their views, it seeks to prove that fan fiction writers can empower themselves by using fan fiction as a vehicle for their ideas and opinions that would not normally be voiced out in everyday life and everyday situations. Henry Jenkins' views on fan fiction are based on reader response theory, and that is taken into perspective. His views regarding the idea that fans are able to reread and reinterpret the main text according to their needs and wants is central to this thesis, for it is also this ability to freely change and reinterpret that is crucial to the idea of empowerment for fan fiction writers. Matt Hills, on the other hand, offers additional insights into how the Internet has not just expanded fandom, but also changed it - and, by extension, fan fiction as well. By analyzing four stories written by four different fan fiction writers, this thesis aims to prove that there is a sense of empowerment granted to fan fiction writers.