Pudding Seminar: Atticus Yus (MCR), 'Newnham, a Room, an Archive: Fanfiction and Safe Spaces Online'

Content note: This presentation discusses fanfiction tagging practices and will reference terms related to sexual violence (including “non-consensual” and “assault”) as they appear in archive metadata. There will be no graphic descriptions. 
 

In this seminar, I introduce the popular fanfiction website Archive of Our Own (AO3) and connect its legacy to the history of Newnham College. Through this comparison, I highlight how AO3’s mission echoes several of the same principles that supported women’s right to a space and means of production of their own. This connection leads to the central aim of my research: investigating how users on AO3 have developed a praxis of consent.

The presentation begins with a definition of fanfiction and a brief introduction to AO3. I then discuss the characteristics of a fanfiction community, particularly how users are often motivated by a love of mainstream media that is frequently produced by and for men. Fanfiction, in turn, creates opportunities for women to claim narrative space and pleasure on their own terms. From there, I shift to the circulation of fanfiction and examine how writers communicate their work in ways that attract the appropriate audience– that is, readers who will be comfortable with and find pleasure in their stories. This emphasis on maintaining fanfiction websites as safe spaces, despite the prevalence of taboo content, invites further reflection on the historical conditions that led to the creation of women’s spaces, such as the women’s college. 

Atticus Yus (she/her) is an MPhil student in Digital Humanities at Newnham College. Her research focuses on cyberspace, feminism, and queerness in relation to fan culture. When she isn’t at the library, Atticus enjoys trying out new recipes and long walks in the rain.

All staff, students, and senior members are very warmly invited to attend the Pudding Seminars. Talks usually last between 20-25 minutes, followed by time for questions, comments and discussion before we finish at 1.50pm, to allow people to get to 2pm appointments. Please note that coffee and cake will be available from 1 o'clock with the seminar starting promptly at 1.15pm. Details of all our seminars can be found at: https://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/research/pudding-seminars/forthcoming-pudding-seminars/