ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the major themes of the book: emotion, literacy practices (including reading, writing, making art, engaging with popular culture, etc.), and the role of the body/embodiment in fanfiction. Using affect theory by foundational theorists Sara Ahmed and Margaret Wetherell, the chapter begins to define a key theory of the book—‘emotioned literacy’. The term is initially defined as combining bodily physiology, embodiment experienced throughout one’s lifetime, and many different factors that influence the development of reading and writing skills, including texts, family, school, friends, and popular culture. Overall, this chapter argues that fan studies needs a more thorough investigation of the roles of emotion, lifelong activities, and family in order to better understand the how, why, and even what of fannish practices.
