Jenkins' discussion of the relationship between fans and producers of ongoing TV shows lacks closure. I found the analysis to be sound overall only one chapter was structurally flawed. While many filks are about specific media shows and characters, many others are about fans or the activities of fandom, providing a self-referential description not commonly available in other fannish products. He elucidated several important elements of filking, however, that justified its prominent position in his analysis and shed light on the whole atmosphere of fandom. I originally found it puzzling that Jenkins devoted a whole chapter to filking (science-fiction folksong writing and performance). Jenkins argues that fans are constructing a fluid continuum between the homosocial and the homosexual, a continuum that exists for women-no one blinks if straight women hug and kiss each other-but which is sharply divided for men. Unlike earlier theorists who viewed this fiction as pornography, he analyzes it as a holistic narrative structure which includes-but is not limited to-depictions of sexual activity. He offers the most plausible academic explanation yet for the popularity of homoerotic fan fiction. Jenkins addresses a number of fannish phenomena, including fan fiction and fan-produced music videos. Taking a stand against the stereotypical portrayal of fans as obsessive nerds who are out of touch with reality, he demonstrates that fans are pro-active constructors of an alternative culture using elements 'poached' and reworked from the popular media. Drawing on a rich theoretical background with sources ranging from feminist literary criticism to cultural anthropology, Jenkins applies and adapts Michel de Certeau's model of 'poaching,' in which an audience appropriates a text for itself.

In Textual Poachers, Henry Jenkins examines the underground world of the media fandom, people who create fiction, artwork, and other forms of expression based on television shows.

Henry jenkins textual poachers