Fans: The Mirror of Consumption [Paperback]

In Fans: The Mirror of Consumption Cornel Sandvoss explores the social, cultural, and psychological premises and consequences of fan consumption. The scope of the book is impressive - he looks not just at the nature and development of whole fan cultures, but also focuses on the experience and identity of the individual fan. In addition, the book proposes a new perspective on fans and popular culture, arguing that the modern self is reflected and constituted through media consumption.

In developing his account, Sandvoss draws on theoretical ideas in an original yet accessible way, and uses a wide range of examples, from Star Trek to Madonna to football, to illustrate his argument. This makes 'Fans: the mirror of consumption' an ideal text for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students studying fans, audiences and consumption in all areas of contemporary culture.

It is the book's original contribution, combined with its student-friendly approach, that will make 'Fans: The Mirror of Consumption' a 'must read' text for students and scholars alike.Acknowledgements.

1. Introduction: Representing Fandom.

2. The Dominant Discourse of Resistance: Fandom and Power.

3. A Text Called Home: Fandom Between Performance and Place.

4. The Inner Fan: Fandom and Psychoanalysis.

5. Fandom as Extension of Self: Self-Reflection and Narcissism.

6. Fan Texts: From Polysemy to Neutrosemy.

7. Conclusion: One-Dimensional Fan?.

Notes.

References.

Index.

A magisterial book, which expands the range of examples in the discussion, opens up a range of new questions, and poses some provocative new conceptual models. Many established scholars (myself among them) are going to spend many hours rebutting or revising some of his claims, but we are also goinglS