ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines that fan fiction, long a nearly invisible form of outsider art, has grown exponentially in volume and legal importance in the past decade. Fan fiction provides fans with an opportunity to enjoy, discuss, and most of all inhabit the canon texts in ways that would be impossible without it. Despite its essential role, though, fan fiction's legal status remains unclear. Many fans, including academic fans, believe that fan fiction is another type of information that just wants to be free: all or nearly all non-commercial fan fiction should be protected as fair use. In contrast to previous generations, today we live in a world of symbols and texts that are all, or nearly all, owned; fan fiction is a way of combating the inevitable alienation this produces.
