The Journey from Fan Fiction to Fiction: How the Fan Was Killed so the Fiction Could Live
Abstract
Fan fiction is disappearing day after day, willingly being erased from the world so that “real literature” can emerge—but it was always real to the readers. In my poster, I will analyze the removal of The Handmaid’s Tale from the fan fiction Manacled in order to form the adapted novel Alchemised to highlight the erasure of fan fiction in favor of making a marketable book. Ultimately, I will argue that fan works should stay in fan spaces, free from monetization. To explain this, I will discuss the differences in the notion of the declining birthrates from the original source, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale compared to SenLinYu’s Manacled and Alchemised, analyzing how the work was changed to fit market standards. I will argue that fan fiction is a valid form of literature because all novels are amalgamations of other works, as seen in Barthes’ essay. Scholar Bettina Soller discusses in her essay, “Filing off the Serial Numbers: Fanfiction and Its Adaptation to the Book Market,” the act in which authors completely remove all traces of fan fiction from their work in order to sell their novels. I will be using both essays to support my claim that fan fiction should stay in fan spaces without monetization, and to further my research into the phenomenon in which fan fiction is erased. It is a serious act to remove literature from the world, and yet many authors like SenLinYu have done so willingly in order to establish themselves within the publishing world. Whether it is fiction or fan fiction, the starting line of the novel is still the same, and will always be, for the fans.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 12:00 PM
Room Number
Culp Ballroom 316
Poster Number
43
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Subtype
Posters - Competitive
Presentation Category
Arts and Humanities
Student Type
Graduate and Professional Degree Students, Residents, Fellows
Faculty Mentor
Matthew Holtmeier
The Journey from Fan Fiction to Fiction: How the Fan Was Killed so the Fiction Could Live
Culp Ballroom 316
Fan fiction is disappearing day after day, willingly being erased from the world so that “real literature” can emerge—but it was always real to the readers. In my poster, I will analyze the removal of The Handmaid’s Tale from the fan fiction Manacled in order to form the adapted novel Alchemised to highlight the erasure of fan fiction in favor of making a marketable book. Ultimately, I will argue that fan works should stay in fan spaces, free from monetization. To explain this, I will discuss the differences in the notion of the declining birthrates from the original source, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale compared to SenLinYu’s Manacled and Alchemised, analyzing how the work was changed to fit market standards. I will argue that fan fiction is a valid form of literature because all novels are amalgamations of other works, as seen in Barthes’ essay. Scholar Bettina Soller discusses in her essay, “Filing off the Serial Numbers: Fanfiction and Its Adaptation to the Book Market,” the act in which authors completely remove all traces of fan fiction from their work in order to sell their novels. I will be using both essays to support my claim that fan fiction should stay in fan spaces without monetization, and to further my research into the phenomenon in which fan fiction is erased. It is a serious act to remove literature from the world, and yet many authors like SenLinYu have done so willingly in order to establish themselves within the publishing world. Whether it is fiction or fan fiction, the starting line of the novel is still the same, and will always be, for the fans.
