UFRGS FIS LIT ENG 2014
[1] “Fan” is ........ abbreviated form of
“fanatic”, which has ........ roots in ........ Latin
word “fanaticus”, which simply meant
“belonging to the temple, a devotee”. But
[5] these words quickly assumed negative
connotations, to the point of becoming
references to excessive religious belief and to any
mistaken enthusiasm.
Based on such connotations, news reports
[10] frequently characterize fans as psychopaths
........ frustrated fantasies of intimate
relationships with stars or unsatisfied desires
to achieve stardom take violent and antisocial
forms. Whether viewed as a religious fanatic,
[15] a psychopathic killer, a neurotic fantasist, or a
lust-crazed groupie, the fan remains a
“fanatic” with interests alien to the realm of
“normal” cultural experience and a mentality
dangerously out of touch with reality.
[20] To understand the logic behind this
discursive construction of fans, we must
reconsider what we mean by taste. Concepts
of “good taste,” appropriate conduct, or
aesthetic merit are not natural or universal;
[25] rather, they are rooted in social experience
and reflect particular class interests. Taste
becomes one of the important means by
which social distinctions are maintained and
class identities are forged. Those who
[30] “naturally” possess appropriate tastes
“deserve” a privileged position, while the
tastes of others are seen as underdeveloped.
Taste distinctions determine desirable and
undesirable ways of relating to cultural
[35] objects, strategies of interpretation and styles
of consumption.
The stereotypical conception of the fan
reflects anxieties about the violation of
dominant cultural hierarchies. The fans’
[40] transgression of bourgeois taste disrupt
dominant cultural hierarchies, insuring that
their preferences be seen as abnormal and
threatening by those who have an interest in
the maintenance of these standards (even by
[45] those who may share similar tastes but
express them in different ways).
Adapted from: JENKINS, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York / London: Routledge, 1992. p. 12-16.
According to the text,
the word “fan” is just short for “fanatic” and both forms mean basically the same as their Latin root did.
though the word “fanatic” refers only to religious excesses, “fan” has a broader meaning, being associated to forms of antisocial behavior and abnormal taste.
despite the bad connotations of the word “fanatic”, fans are generally perceived as people of good taste who hold privileged positions in society.
the words “fanatic” and “fan” evolved from quite negative references to forms of religious worship to a fairly democratic view on cultural tastes and styles of consumption.
the word “fan” is often used in prejudicious and stereotypical references to people who display excessive enthusiasm in stating their cultural tastes.
