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Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture
"Get a life" William Shatner told Star Trek fans. Yet, as Textual Poachers argues, fans already have a "life," a complex subculture which draws its resources from commercial culture while also reworking them to serve alternative interests. Rejecting stereotypes of fans as cultural dupes, social misfits, and mindless consumers, Jenkins represents media fans as active producers and skilled manipulators of program meanings, as nomadic poachers constructing their own culture from borrowed materials, as an alternative social community defined through its cultural preferences and consumption practices. Written from an insider's perspective and providing vivid examples from fan artifacts, Textual Poachers offers an ethnographic account of the media fan community, its interpretive strategies, its social institutions and cultural practices, and its troubled relationship to the mass media and consumer capitalism. Drawing on the work of Michel de Certeau, Jenkins shows how fans of Star Trek, Blake's 7, The Professionals, Beauty and the Beast, Starsky and Hutch, Alien Nation, Twin Peaks, and other popular programs exploit these cultural materials as the basis for their stories, songs, videos, and social interactions. Addressing both academics and fans, Jenkins builds a powerful case for the richness of fan culture as a popular response to the mass media and as a challenge to the producers' attempts to regulate textual meanings. Textual Poachers guides readers through difficult questions about popular consumption, genre, gender, sexuality, and interpretation, documenting practices and processes which test and challenge basic assumptions of contemporary media theory.
343 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 1992
49 people are currently reading
1295 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
August 15, 2025
rip henry jenkins you would’ve loved ao3
February 17, 2014
I should have read this book 20ish years ago, back when I was slightly defensive (based on the mockery and cultural condemnation) about being a science fiction fan. Back in the day, it would have been revelatory and affirming. A professor, taking fandom seriously! Taking fans seriously! Who went to cons and listened to filk and read fan fiction! And talks about fandom in terms of Bakhtin, Barthes, and Benjamin!
There’s still a lot of good in the text. Great exploration of how different fan communities operate; how different groups are characterized by different modes of reading and appropriation; of the evolution of slash; and of filk. I didn’t realize until I read this book that A Very Scary Solstice is part of a rich tradition that sometimes involved all night sing-alongs in moving cargo elevators.
Some things haven’t aged so well. The discussion of slash was suffused by a gender essentialism that got my hackles up. But he gets mad points for hinting that Wesley Crusher might grow on us (95).
There’s still a lot of good in the text. Great exploration of how different fan communities operate; how different groups are characterized by different modes of reading and appropriation; of the evolution of slash; and of filk. I didn’t realize until I read this book that A Very Scary Solstice is part of a rich tradition that sometimes involved all night sing-alongs in moving cargo elevators.
Some things haven’t aged so well. The discussion of slash was suffused by a gender essentialism that got my hackles up. But he gets mad points for hinting that Wesley Crusher might grow on us (95).
June 9, 2008
I loved this book and am currently fangirling Henry Jenkins. Which is something I would like to discuss with him, because a) he wouldn't mock me and b) we could have an interesting conversation that engaged cultural studies without making me stabby. Also, I would like the Jenkinses to invite me over to watch Blakes7.
But, in all seriousness, Jenkins does an excellent job sussing out an ethnography of fan culture in a way that is both respectful and critical, that recognizes that it is playful, play with purpose, and a consumer tactic that is important to understand.
But, in all seriousness, Jenkins does an excellent job sussing out an ethnography of fan culture in a way that is both respectful and critical, that recognizes that it is playful, play with purpose, and a consumer tactic that is important to understand.
December 26, 2021
也是一本读书会书目，是我在书店并不会拿起来翻阅的宝藏。
一直以来对同人的了解都是从仅有的耽美小说展开的，夹杂着少许的cp混剪视频。这本书让我了解到同人的由来，甚至是NASA作为logo流行的原因。一直在感慨00后们可能大多数并不知道录音机，但录像单对我来说也是“传说”中的存在，更不要提使用在现代科技的对比下显得过时的设备来完成视频编辑。用爱发电原来是这么早以前就已经开始的事情。
中文译本的译者注非常提升阅读体验，即使没有看过作者举例提到的所有电视剧，依然能够明白想要表达的观点。因为没有相关专业基础，这本教科书科普了简单的专业知识，但有些难啃，推荐给有兴趣了解媒体的伙伴！
和Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business一样，虽然离第一次出版有许多年头，但依然可以和当今时代产生共鸣。
一些书中的highlight
一直以来对同人的了解都是从仅有的耽美小说展开的，夹杂着少许的cp混剪视频。这本书让我了解到同人的由来，甚至是NASA作为logo流行的原因。一直在感慨00后们可能大多数并不知道录音机，但录像单对我来说也是“传说”中的存在，更不要提使用在现代科技的对比下显得过时的设备来完成视频编辑。用爱发电原来是这么早以前就已经开始的事情。
中文译本的译者注非常提升阅读体验，即使没有看过作者举例提到的所有电视剧，依然能够明白想要表达的观点。因为没有相关专业基础，这本教科书科普了简单的专业知识，但有些难啃，推荐给有兴趣了解媒体的伙伴！
和Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business一样，虽然离第一次出版有许多年头，但依然可以和当今时代产生共鸣。
一些书中的highlight
November 6, 2015
<3
Okay so many great things about this book.
1. It's a very good snapshot of fandom in the late 80s - the range of fandoms, types of fans, and most importantly the method of analysis were sound
2. the chapter on Beauty and the Beast fans was particularly interesting because it was the closest to non-fandom fans, in that the viewing practices could have occurred in other situations without necessarily being a 'fandom' thing - without the products of fannish activity, as such. Especially since Beauty and the Beast was one of those sub-par, almost cultish shows.
3. Theoretically, it's all there. Jenkins is not pulling it out of his ass, essentially. There's this great section at the beginning when he talks about females in society, and the creation of this resistance and sub-culture, and it is illuminating.
4. obviously this book is dated. any book on pop culture will be. however in retrospect its definitely interesting to see the progression of fandom and where we came from. so if we view this as a historiography (at least the specific case studeis) i think we'd be better off. also that isn't to say we can't use it as a validation of a theory of fandom.
5. this is true especially with regards to slash writers. today the big thing isn't slash characters realising their sexuality (although it can be) but instead a whole host of other things. sometimes it's gender fluidity, sexual fluidity, or just relationship problems in general. this shift of the focus of slash away from the taboo of homosexuality has not made it any less important, but does question the underlying assumption of why females wrote slash.
Okay so many great things about this book.
1. It's a very good snapshot of fandom in the late 80s - the range of fandoms, types of fans, and most importantly the method of analysis were sound
2. the chapter on Beauty and the Beast fans was particularly interesting because it was the closest to non-fandom fans, in that the viewing practices could have occurred in other situations without necessarily being a 'fandom' thing - without the products of fannish activity, as such. Especially since Beauty and the Beast was one of those sub-par, almost cultish shows.
3. Theoretically, it's all there. Jenkins is not pulling it out of his ass, essentially. There's this great section at the beginning when he talks about females in society, and the creation of this resistance and sub-culture, and it is illuminating.
4. obviously this book is dated. any book on pop culture will be. however in retrospect its definitely interesting to see the progression of fandom and where we came from. so if we view this as a historiography (at least the specific case studeis) i think we'd be better off. also that isn't to say we can't use it as a validation of a theory of fandom.
5. this is true especially with regards to slash writers. today the big thing isn't slash characters realising their sexuality (although it can be) but instead a whole host of other things. sometimes it's gender fluidity, sexual fluidity, or just relationship problems in general. this shift of the focus of slash away from the taboo of homosexuality has not made it any less important, but does question the underlying assumption of why females wrote slash.
August 17, 2020
For the first time in my admittedly long life I RENTED an e-book because the price of this books was out of the galaxy. I had the original which was a great book and wanted to see what changes the update had so I took it for a test drive before spending an exorbitant amount of money to purchase it. IT IS A RIP OFF. They have added to the original book - a conversation/interview twenty years later about the book, lots and lots of sales references to other authors who have since written about fan fiction etc in the academic world and out. At the end of the original there is a set up for the teaching of the book..with questions for students and more bibliography..none of which were ones I wanted to buy or could even access. I think the original Textual has become a school book and if the price reflects what students are charged for their books then AMAZON IS A CROOK BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BORDER.
December 28, 2008
A review of fan culture, including writers, vidders, and filkers. This is great just as sociological snapshots and a repository of many of the classically understood theories of fandom and how it operates. It's rather uncomfortably outdated, though, appearing before the internet became a fannish locus. I'm also pretty unhappy with the ways Jenkins fails to push this "poaching" model -- he's a media studies guy, and he never once questions the models
of commercial ownership and audience disenfranchisement implicit in his own damn title. I suspect both these faults will be addressed in his upcoming books due out this summer. And on an entirely different note, how cool was it to see my friends like Shoshanna Green quoted and referenced here.
of commercial ownership and audience disenfranchisement implicit in his own damn title. I suspect both these faults will be addressed in his upcoming books due out this summer. And on an entirely different note, how cool was it to see my friends like Shoshanna Green quoted and referenced here.
September 20, 2018
Quando comecei a ler este livro, tinha uma vaga ideia de que seria uma leitura que me adicionaria, mas não desconfiava do quanto. Além disso, tendo esse livro sido escrito há mais de vinte anos atrás e focando a cultura de fãs, muito antes da internet, achei que pudesse ser bastante desatualizado. Mas que nada, ele revela muitas facetas do comportamento dos fãs em reinterpretação e apropriação dos textos da cultura de entretenimento que lançam mão para diversas análises atuais, dentro do escopo da internet e das redes sociais. A parte que mais me chamou a atenção é quando ele trata dos slashs (hoje chamado de shipping), na produção dos fãs principalmente dentro do fandom de Star Trek, inventando e dando contornos a um suposto romance entre o Capitão Kirk e o Senhor Spock. Nessa relação entre fãs e produtos e personagens posso ver muito do que acontece hoje, como por exemplo nos personagens do Marvel Studios, o Capitão América e o Soldado Invernal na produção de fãs para fãs, algo fora do cânone. O mais delicioso desse livro é que Henry Jenkis se declara um acafã, ou seja, um estudioso acadêmico que também é fã, tornando o texto mais palatável e que se percebe que, como as produções da cultura dos fãs também é feito de fã para fã.
May 14, 2018
I've been familiar with Jenkins' work for years, but this is the first time that I have actually sat down and read one of his books in its entirety. I decided to start with Textual Poachers because if you dig deep enough in the citations of any paper in the field of fan studies, you will find this text.
Honestly, I'm kind of glad that I waited to read this book. Textual Poachers was published when internet fandom was in its very early years, so the text primarily concerns the fanzine era of media fandom in the 70's and 80's. I have spent the past two years looking at fanzines and studying their history, and this has given me a much deeper appreciation of and familiarity with the fanzine medium.
The 20th anniversary edition also starts off with a conversation between Henry Jenkins and Suzanne Scott reflecting on Textual Poachers and the fan studies field twenty years later, which provides some further context for the book, and discusses some of the major changes that have occurred in both fandom and fan studies since 1992.
Despite the age of the original text, I think it is still a valuable and useful text for anyone who is interested in the field of fan studies, and is a fascinating read for anyone who considers themself a media fan.
Honestly, I'm kind of glad that I waited to read this book. Textual Poachers was published when internet fandom was in its very early years, so the text primarily concerns the fanzine era of media fandom in the 70's and 80's. I have spent the past two years looking at fanzines and studying their history, and this has given me a much deeper appreciation of and familiarity with the fanzine medium.
The 20th anniversary edition also starts off with a conversation between Henry Jenkins and Suzanne Scott reflecting on Textual Poachers and the fan studies field twenty years later, which provides some further context for the book, and discusses some of the major changes that have occurred in both fandom and fan studies since 1992.
Despite the age of the original text, I think it is still a valuable and useful text for anyone who is interested in the field of fan studies, and is a fascinating read for anyone who considers themself a media fan.
Read
April 5, 2025aunque sea de los 90 se sigue manteniendo bastante el tipo de cultura fan que Jenkins analiza, pero trascendiendo a otros medios y modos más actuales. se nota que el libro fue un landmark y pionero para estudios culturales de fans y que sigue siendo relevante hoy en día.
(he hecho skimming mayormente para el tfg, pero ojalá volver y leerlo con más detenimiento)
(he hecho skimming mayormente para el tfg, pero ojalá volver y leerlo con más detenimiento)
September 7, 2023
“Wow that is soooo meeeeee” (me while reading this book)
I skipped two or three chapters but what I read was wonderful
If you can, write an academic paper about fandom and use this book ✨
I skipped two or three chapters but what I read was wonderful
If you can, write an academic paper about fandom and use this book ✨
Read
March 18, 2026as always, shoutout to the divas who let someone print sex scenes from their slash fics in an academic book
August 14, 2016
One of the big and important books on fans and fandom, containing things such as a study in "Beauty and the Beast", fan songs, and the everlasting and ever-asked question: "Why do women write homosexual love stories?"
December 30, 2020
Henry Jenkins entre em minha casa e escreva minha dissertação!!!
December 14, 2021
Lots of good info but some of it is dated. If you're a Star Trek fan, this is a good book for you.
May 10, 2021
Jenkins does an excellent job sussing out an ethnography of fan culture in a way that is both respectful and critical, that recognizes that it is playful. This is great just as sociological snapshots and a repository of many of the classically understood theories of fandom and how it operates.
There’s still a lot of good in the text. Great exploration of how different fan communities operate; how different modes of reading and appropriation characterize different groups; of the evolution of slash; and filk. I didn’t realize until I read this book that A Very Scary Solstice is part of a rich tradition that sometimes involved all night sing-alongs moving cargo elevators. It's rather uncomfortably outdated, though, appearing before the internet became a fannish locus.
I'm also pretty unhappy with the ways Jenkins fails to push this "poaching" model - he's a media studies guy, and he never once questions the models of commercial ownership and audience disenfranchisement implicit in his own damn title. Some things haven’t aged so well. The discussion of slash was suffused by gender essentialism that got my hackles up. But he gets mad points for hinting that Wesley Crusher might grow on us.
There’s still a lot of good in the text. Great exploration of how different fan communities operate; how different modes of reading and appropriation characterize different groups; of the evolution of slash; and filk. I didn’t realize until I read this book that A Very Scary Solstice is part of a rich tradition that sometimes involved all night sing-alongs moving cargo elevators. It's rather uncomfortably outdated, though, appearing before the internet became a fannish locus.
I'm also pretty unhappy with the ways Jenkins fails to push this "poaching" model - he's a media studies guy, and he never once questions the models of commercial ownership and audience disenfranchisement implicit in his own damn title. Some things haven’t aged so well. The discussion of slash was suffused by gender essentialism that got my hackles up. But he gets mad points for hinting that Wesley Crusher might grow on us.
May 6, 2024
I've wanted to read Jenkins for years as his work was one of the few places I'd ever seen fandom and participatory culture treated with academic interest. As this was published in '92 it's also situated in a particular time in fan culture and it's interesting to compare and contrast with modern fandom practices (the communal filksing, for example, is a thing of the past, while increased access to digital video and music files as well as software has made vidding more accessible than ever). Might go on to read some of his more recent stuff but I need a break from the academic texts for now. Actually, I took a break from reading this book to write a novella-length fanfiction...
January 13, 2020
Fans: both good and bad! Reading this made me reflect a lot on my adolescence in the early 00s. I spent a lot of time reading fanfic. My opinions on gender expression, romance, and sexuality were definitely influenced by fanfic. Fan culture has forced the issue on a number of topics, particularly LGBTQ representation. I also think a lot has changed since the original publication of this book, and since this 2012 edition.
February 3, 2024
I assigned this book to my undergraduate students in Participatory Culture & Identity this year, reading it basically alongside them. They struggled with some of the concepts, like fandom as an intellectual topic generally, but they still seemed to really like it and got a fair amount out of it. I loved it from start to finish. I found the topic interesting, writing accessible, and examples fun to read about. Sure, it’s dated, but still a lot to be learned from it.
June 25, 2025
A thorough view into television fandom, and a must read foundational text for anyone wanting to get into fan studies of any kind. The kind of utopian metadiscourse Jenkins defends in the introduction to the second edition was very interesting, and very applicable to other fandom communities, not as an essential characteristic but a mode under which fan discourses and practices operate and purport to uphold.
Read
January 7, 2024What a classic! A fabulous ethnography of early pre-Internet fandom that talks about how fans receive, remix, poach and rework canonical texts. Aca-fandom always constitutes some of my favourite reads. I'm particularly struck by the continuity of many of these debates, terms, and tussles with TV/media producers, which I still see today.
October 6, 2018
Despite not being familiar with or particularly interested in any of the fandoms/shows/texts used as the primary examples (which is my problem, not the fault of the author), I found this an engaging, thought-provoking, and well-argued overview of the various practices and tropes of fan culture.
June 9, 2020
Easily the best book on fanfiction that I read during the course of my research. It's equal parts well-written, interesting, and informative, covering the history of the word fan, fandom, and fan works.
July 17, 2024
Very detailed and sympathetic (if a trifle long-winded) analysis of the growth and activities of amazing fandom community in the 1980s. There are whole chapters on filking and slash, and their cultural and political implications.
May 8, 2018
Classic tome on fannish history
February 20, 2020
7,5/10
February 29, 2020
Super dense and slightly dated, but some AMAZING insights into what it means to be a fan.
July 14, 2020
One of the must reads for people studying popular media and fan studies. The interview included in this edition is excellent for putting the content in perspective.
March 21, 2021
This was pretty interesting, I read some sections for research for a paper.
July 13, 2021
Outdated but still incredibly valuable for anyone interested in fandom culture.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews