Fandom and media competence: analysis of aesthetic reading in “Young Hearts” fanfic

Abstract

When creating fanfics, fans develop strategies for writing and communication related to multimodal and multimedia content, as well as new textual forms of network conversation (Jenkins 2012, Scolari 2018). The textual and intertextual reading by the avid audience establishes a clear dialogue with Eco’s (2002) concept of semiotic/aesthetic reader, in which stories explore various interpretative layers and go beyond the paratext. Based on this theoretical approach, this paper intends to analyze the dimensions of media competence, proposed by Ferrés and Piscitelli (2015), that are in operation in the creation of Oitavo B, a piece of fanfiction published on the platform Spirit Fanfic e Histórias. The story reframes the narrative arc of characters Lica and Samantha, from Young Hearts. Using their critical comprehension, fans creatively expand and give new meaning to the plot through multimodal and intertextual elements. Their reflections go beyond the canonical limits of the fictional universe and establish distinct correlations in dialogue with other audiovisual productions, literary works, social issues, true events, among others. It is concluded that the fanfic in question not only reinforces and expands the young adult telenovela, but also establishes new interpretative layers.

Keywords

• fan culture
• media competence
• semiotic/aesthetic reader
• fanfic
• young hearts