SLEEPLESS IN CYBERSPACE: HOW DOES POSTMODERNIST THEORY INFORM OUR READING OF MULDER/KRYCEK SLASH FICTION?

Abstract

This dissertation examines the ways in which postmodernist theory informs our reading of online slash fan fiction, focusing on Mulder/Krycek works. It argues that the mechanisms involved in the creation, distribution and interpretation of slash fan fiction constitute postmodernist practice, which can be summed up by Craig Owens’ notion of the ‘allegorical impulse of postmodernism’.

Drawing on recent scholarship on new media, I first explore the impact of the internet on the writing and dissemination of fan fiction. The new digital platforms and software expand the mechanisms involved in the evolution, form, and distribution of fan fiction works in a manner that reflects postmodernist practice.

Secondly, I address the issues of authorship and originality of fan works in the light of Roland Barthes’ notion of the ‘death of the author’. Building on Claude Levi-Strauss’ concept of bricolage, I investigate the appropriative processes involved in fan fiction.

Finally, I consider the sexual politics of slash fiction, taking as my case study The X-Files Mulder/Krycek pairing. The subversive potential of slash and the popular “hurt/comfort” motif are central to the slash fiction’s challenge to the sociocultural status quo.