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"The Aeneid" by Virgil is a rewriting of Homer’s "The Iliad"
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Roman emperors were famous figures, whose faces were circulated on
coins. -
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke
seemingly draw on and rewrite the Gospel of Mark (ca. 70-90 AD) -
Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. Draws on the Bible,
Homer’s "The Iliad", Virgil’s "The Aeneid" -
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1599-1602) was a rewriting of Norse legend and a play by another playwright named Thomas Kyd.
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The word “fan(atic)” is used as an abbreviation for “fanatic”
(religious zealot) in England in the 1640s and onwards. It was later used about baseball spectators in the US (1889), and later yet about film and recorded music audiences -
Shakespeare’s birth place is opened to visitors in the mid-1700s. Visitors (including celebrities in their own right, such as Charles Dickens) scratch their names into windows or scribble them on walls.
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Romantic poets gain a certain fame (e.g. Byron, who was a
superstar in his day) -
Charles Dickens was a literary superstar, whose serialized
fiction held readers in suspense between 1836-70. Later, Arthur Conan Doyle faced reader outrage after he killed his famous main character, Sherlock Holmes (published 1887-1927), and later resurrected him. -
Technology develops (Edison’s sound recording 1878, cinema
becomes possible (perforated celluloid) 1889, airwave broadcasting early 1900s). Celebrity culture likewise develops (publicity photos and other celebrity merchandise, stage performers (e.g. Sarah Bernhardt) and “dandies” idolized). -
The movie industry has started and Hollywood is born. Names of performers in movies have been publicized since 1910, after popular demand.
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Celebrity culture develops. Fan mail a $2 million/year industry,
with 32 million letters/year received. Hysteria reported after Rudolph Valentino’s death (fandom seen as dangerous). Fans organize in clubs and fundraise to help their own, publish journals, and lobby to create more work for their favorites (e.g. Clark Gable and Gone With the Wind). Radio programs and music performers gain loyal followings. -
Science fiction (SF or sci-fi) magazines such as “Amazing Stories” by Hugo Gernsback are on the rise: a mixture of published writers and fan writers allows interaction between readers and writers, and content includes both stories and reflections (meta).
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“Distraction movies” become popular in the Great Depression.
Comic books enter their golden age (titles rise from c. 150 (1937) to almost 700 (1940), and include everything from Superman to macabre tales). -
First SF convention named“World Con” was held. SF continues to be popular into the 1960s, where it captures readers with parallels to Cold War anxieties (monsters, mad scientists, aliens)
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Frank Sinatra fandom giving name to terms such as
“Swoonatra-ism” and “Sinattraddicts”. -
Rock n’roll fandom on the rise. Hollywood starts to cater more
to younger audiences following the rise of TV and the fall of the cinema as family entertainment. -
Reruns of old monster movies create nostalgia. Alfred Hitchcock
adopts celebrity persona. James Bond becomes a franchise. Music fandoms explode (Beatlemania and John Lennon comparing The Beatles’ popularity to Jesus’), e.g. producing fanzines. Counterculture is on the rise (hippies, Woodstock). -
SF television is credited with sparking “modern fandom”, e.g. Doctor Who (UK, 1963-89, 2005-) and especially Star Trek (US, 1966-9). Fanfiction and fanzines emerge in their modern form.
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In 1966, Jean Rhys publishes Wide Sargasso Sea, a postcolonial retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847).
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Social criticism is a part of popular media (esp. following the
Watergate scandal). Cult media products emerge (e.g. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a caricature of alternative sexualities). Punk music emerges and sparks fan followings and products, e.g. fanzines. “Modern fandom” no longer just concentrates on SF media products, but also on cop shows such as Starsky and Hutch (1975-9) -
San Diego Comic Con begins as a SF fan convention.
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George Lucas’ Star Wars hits the theaters, sparking massive fandom.
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John Lennon is shot by Mark Chapman to immense fan
response. MTV and pop music magazines on the rise. VCRS and video stores on the rise: you can see what you want, when you want, in a domestic setting. Fan engagement is increasingly on the fans’ terms (e.g. viding, producing fan videos which might be screened at fan conventions). TV shows become increasingly complex. Academia begins to dabble in fandom studies. -
TV shows change and e.g. become increasingly complex (overarching plot arcs rather than just stand-alone episodes), or have TV viewers as a focus (eg. MST 3000). Popular culture is increasingly global (e.g. Western import of Japanese media, which fans dub and share amongst themselves). Video games increasingly outspread (non-linear narratives). The internet is on the rise. Fans are early adopters (fanfic is spread online rather than just in fanzines; mail lists are used to share and discuss).
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Henry Jenkins publishes “Textual Poachers”, the seminal
academic work on fandom. -
TV and movies develops further and includes more self-reflexive and intertextual shows (e.g. Buffy, Angel; Scream), transmedia (The Matrix), and reality TV (encouraging viewer participation). Technology develops (DVDS, blu-rays) and broadcasters shift from “appointment television” (audiences watch at a certain time) to “engagement television” (you draw viewers by making them engaged with your show). Storylines become increasingly serialized and complex (Lost, The Wire).
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The internet continues to develop and allows more and more private people the chance to be heard or to publish their own content (Facebook, blogs, Twitter, YouTube). Media piracy increases. Fandom increasingly online in chat rooms, forums etc. (e.g. Livejournal, tumblr). Discussions flourish and information spreads fast (e.g. spoiling plot lines of shows or movies). Stereotypes about fans and fandom are still rampant, but fandom has become more visible, more mainstream and more normal.
