This new series is prompted by a growing appetite for books that tap into the fascination we have with what constitutes an iconic or cultish phenomenon and how a particular person, TV show or film character/film infiltrates their way into the public consciousness. We will look at particular examples of ‘fan culture’ and approach the subject in an accessible manner aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of these fascinating – and often unusual – ‘universes’.
The concept of the book series is to address cult/fan culture within a specified gaze. Topics will range from mythic actors like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean to the long-lasting television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer to film juggernauts like Harry Potter, James Bond and Star Wars.
Each of the subjects we choose have massive visual appeal as they deal with fan fashion, memorabilia, (fan)homages, merchandising and branding that help to create the immersive world that extends beyond the phenomenon itself. The books will aim to exploit this visual aspect to align them with other Intellect book series such as the World Film Locations and Directory of World Cinema series that make good use of relevant collected imagery.
The series aims to ‘decode’ cult subjects in terms of the appeal and far reaching connections each of them have in becoming part of popular culture. We are fully aware that these are not meant to be comprehensive, weighty tomes on the subject – rather a series of ‘handy’ books that each include a fascinating collection of essays which explore a particular area or aspect of the subject’s ‘universe’ in each chapter.
Chapter headings include:
– Fashion (Cosplay, high street fashion trends)
– Language (eg. Slang, parlance, dialect; words and phrases particular to each ‘phenomenon’)
– Character/characterization
– Fan Media (fan fiction, art, fan films)
– The virtual (videogames, fan-films, role-play, blogs, fan forums)
– Philosophies (cod-religions that have evolved from the source phenomena)
– Economics (merchandise, branding, memorabilia)
A short list of proposed titles for the series include:
– Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Star Trek / X-Files / James Bond / Harry Potter / Star Wars / Dr. Who / The Big Lebowski / Sherlock Holmes / Marilyn Monroe / Rocky Horror Picture Show / Lord of the Rings / The Matrix / Zombies / James Dean / Quentin Tarantino / Anime / Batman / Superman / Jane Austen / Disney
If you would like to contribute to any of the titles in the above list (or have suggestions of your own), are interested in an editorial role or are simply looking for further information about the book series, please send an email to Gabriel Solomons – series editor.
The Fan Studies Network 