|
Hi Gryffindor,
Sure, something about fanfic trends or topics would be of interest, as long as your essay is grounded in theory and/or methodology. In other words, an essay about fanfic can (probably should) be descriptive, but it probably also should try to show how yaoi / boys' love fit or don't fit existing knowledge.
For example, some of the yaoi fanfic I've read rejects some types of current psychoanalytic models of erotic behavior in that the main characters in the fic move freely between being subject and object, fucking and being fucked, narcissistic identification and voyeuristic objectification -- sometimes encompassing all of these states simultaneously. In this, the fanfic IMO is describing reality better than some of the dominant models of psychoanalytic theory.
Another example could be publishing: describing not only how fanfic publishing has evolved but why, relating these to trends in technology, the economy, commercial media, globalization, etc.
Maybe the bottom line here is that for whatever approach you might take, describing the "how" would be good, but describing the "why" would be better and both of them need to account for existing knowledge.
Hope this helps and that others weigh in. Apologies for the length.
-- Mark
|