Whether you’re a fan of “Fan Fiction” or not, the underground subgenre is making waves in the literary and entertainment industries—and we at Tertiary are paying attention.

For this week’s episode, we examine fan fiction on several levels, including the ways literary norms reify gender bias and heteronormativity, as well as a wider consideration of storytelling that opens a fascinating window into the workings of human creativity. Don’t worry, we also debate abolishing marriage and Justin’s dancefloor chops.

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A Sample of Heaven-Leigh’s Favorite Fan Fictions (smut free to avoid any awkward convos):

1. “Transcendent Humanity” by Solaris242
2. “Peeta’s Games” by igsygrace
3. “Red Robb and the Burning of the Riverlands” by strangebloke

Further Reading

• Read the full context of the Revenue Act of 1913 here, as well as the timeline of civil marriage in the U.S. here.
• Read “A Guide to Fanfiction Terminology” on Writing Advice from the Poorly Drawn Spider’s Wordpress here.
• Find Vivian Hawthornes’ complete booklist here.

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.