Transformative Works and Cultures

Overall I thought this was a strong and thought provoking article. It has certainly prompted me to research further into the history and construction of melodrama as a genre. I particularly enjoyed section three on affective identification with a character as a form of self-love and identification, but was less convinced by the expansion of this to aspects of text and meta-text outside character.
I confess I am still a little baffled by the most extreme fan condemntations of Becky – my intial reaction to exploits being delight. There is a comic strip floating round LJ somewhere which depicts a woman’s marriage (possibly) breaking down as a result of being ‘outed’ by 5x01, which I found much more hurtful and potentially damaging than the episode itself. What I feel is missing from most discussion is the appreciation of Becky as a positive and powerful character: creative, organizational, able to have influence and above all, joyful. Far from the pathological, isolated stereotypes of fandom Jenkins helped to deconstruct, Becky loves her show and her life (and is given a unique opportunity to participate in it). Her ability to unsettle and confuse the male characters with her own agenda was hilarious to me. What will ruin it for me is if she’s killed off, which I sincerely hope won’t happen.
Thank you for writing, and best wishes.