Virgilian fandom in the Renaissance

  • Balaka Basu University of North Carolina at Charlotte
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2016.0683
Keywords: Affect theory, Arcadia, Creative commons, Early modern fan fiction, Queer theory, Sir Philip Sidney, Slash, Virgil

Abstract

Considered as fan works, early modern homages to, derivations from, and continuations of classical texts can help contemporary readers better understand the past and potential future of fan fiction as a queer, emotional, and affectionate investment in the universe of a text. Demonstrating that Sir Philip Sidney's queer, fractured Arcadia can be understood as fan fiction of Virgil's Eclogues shows how readers have always responded to the notion of beloved texts held in the creative commons with traditional fan practices such as subversive slash subtexts, inserted selves, feminine communities of reader-writers, and carefully orchestrated gift economies, whether in ancient Rome, Tudor England, or our own digital era.

Author Biography

Balaka Basu, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Balaka Basu is assistant professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Published
2016-03-15
Issue
Vol 21 (2016)
Section
Theory
Copyright (c) 2016 Transformative Works and Cultures

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