‘And we will ship him hence’: The case for Shakespeare Fan Studies

This chapter argues that by including fan studies as part of appropriation theory scholarship can account for this conversation, manifest in likes, re-posts and experimental fan work. Because of the interplay between creator and audience, the focus of appropriative study shifts from the end product, the new Shakespeare iteration, to the fan relationship with an object that results in appropriation and the creation of new works. By centring the fan, appropriation theory can fully engage with the processes of appropriation (in addition to the fan product) recognizing and situating the fan as both consumer and producer of popular Shakespeares.