Beyond Style: Rethinking Computational Fanfiction Research

Computational studies of fanfiction have gained traction in recent years, due to both the abundance of data and the development of contemporary NLP methods and tools. In this position paper, we outline the predominant themes and findings of previous studies of fanfiction and propose fruitful suggestions for future research. Specifically, we identify two primary ways that fanfiction has been approached from a computational perspective: one concerning the style of successful or popular fanfiction; the other concerning gender and power dynamics in fanfiction texts. This existing research, however, has only begun to grapple with the complexities and challenges of working with fan-produced content. We argue that online fanfiction is a complex and, in many ways, unique cultural phenomenon which requires new ways of thinking about the motivations and purposes of textual production. Fanfiction is a dynamic, community-produced, transformative genre, and as long as research neglects this whole picture, studies will remain underdeveloped and insufficient to answer meaningful questions. Furthermore, these new ways of approaching fanfiction need to be based on ethical archiving and research practices that are rooted in the theory from qualitative research, and which show ethical care for the people who create and engage with fanfiction.