“The Powers That Decide” in the J. R. Ward Message Board

Abstract

Romance has the reputation of being an opiate for the masses. This paper intends to analyze if it is indeed a fantasy imposed from above or if there is room for negotiation. The chosen space is vampire romance writer J. R. Ward's forum. Power will be discussed through the lens of Foucault's Panopticon and de Certeau's productive consumption, among others.

Keywords

• fan studies
• power relations
• romance
• panopticon
• productive consumption