Bland puppyshippers och Orange Crushers ? en studie av drivkrafterna bakom läsande och skrivande av Harry Potter-fan fiction.
The aim of this Master?s Thesis is to study readers and authors of Harry Potter fan fiction, in order to answer the question of why they read and write fan fiction about Harry Potter, and which factors determine what kind of fan fiction stories they read. The empirical material consists of three qualitative interviews with fan fiction readers and authors, and a textual analysis of four internet forums for discussions about Harry Potter and fan fiction. The theoretical background is based on reception theory and reader-response criticism. The results show, that commitment to, and interest in, the source material is an important reason as to why the participants of the study read and write Harry Potter fan fiction. At the same time, most participants also feel frustration and dissatisfaction with the source material. Also, the results show that fan fiction can be a way of practising writing skills. Reading and writing fan fiction also attracts because it is fun, and because it gives an opportunity to explore how other Harry Potter fans have interpreted the source material. There are many factors that determine which stories the participants choose to read. Characters, and how they are paired with each other, play a vital role, as well as genre, rating, plot and the author?s language and writing style. Many participants read popular stories, and have favourite authors. Personal interpretation of the source material is a very important factor, since it will determine what a participant likes and is willing to accept in fan fiction.