f you’ve been following my tumblr for a bit, you may have noticed my quoting “Fic: Why  Fanfiction is Taking Over the World” by Anne Jamison. I bought it both because I wanted to support archiveofourown.org and because as an active fanfiction writer and reader, it’s a subject near and dear to my heart.

The book takes a long view at fanfiction, with contributing essays from many sources. It more or less follows the history of fanfiction from the 1800s (and not just Sherlock Holmes) through the way technology and the success of “Fifty Shades of Grey” are changing and shaping fanfiction today.

I don’t normally underline or write in books. I underlined in this one. In one instance I underlined, highlighted and dog-eared a page. If you know anyone that thinks fanfiction shouldn’t or can’t be taken seriously as a literature, I’d recommend tossing this book at them.

The book places fanfiction in the context of the society it finds itself, from early Sherlock pastiches, to mimeographed Star Trek fanzines of the 70s and 80s through Twin Peaks usenet boards, to early Buffy and X-files sites and on to Harry Potter and Internet fanfiction hubs. And yes, spends some time in the Twlight fandom and discussing the controversy of ‘pulling to print’ that mostly grew up out of that fandom.

The book is consistently engaging, and the essays give a first person perspective on various aspects of the fanfiction world. The fact that fanfiction is overwhelmingly produced by women and dismissed by men isn’t missed either. The book very successfully makes the case that fanfiction can be just as much literature as anything else, slash, omegaverse and all.