Hills, Matthew James 2005. Patterns of surprise: the "Aleatory Object" in psychoanalytic ethnography and cyclical fandom. American Behavioral Scientist 48 (7) , pp. 801-821. 10.1177/0002764204273169 |
Abstract
This article studies one media fan’s consumption patterns, arguing that media fandom has been restrictively defined in cultural studies to date as a matter of faithfulness to singular fan objects. Contra such definitions, the article addresses cyclical fandom, wherein the fan-consumer constantly moves from one fan object to another, experiencing intense affective relationships to a variety of texts. This case study employs psychoanalytic ethnography to analyze such a consumption pattern, where the “surprise” of new fandoms is repeatedly sought. Christopher Bollas’s psychoanalytic concept of the “aleatory object” is used to interpret self-narratives of cyclical fandom.
Item Type: | Article |
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Date Type: | Publication |
Status: | Published |
Schools: | Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | fandom, individualism, media consumption, psychoanalysis |
ISSN: | 1552-3381 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jun 2017 02:04 |
URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/3990 |
Citation Data
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