Fans Reconstruct Heroes - Modeling Fictional Characters in Participatory Culture

Aug 21, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

The study of fictional characters highlights how participatory culture makes character representation increasingly dynamic and complex. The paper develops the character module of the GOLEM ontology as a formal framework for modelling and comparing fictional characters across cultures, narrative traditions, and reading communities. It explains the module’s design, compares it with existing ontologies, and evaluates it via a Greek mythology fanfiction case using competency questions formulated as SPARQL queries. Results show GOLEM supports both canonical representations and fan-driven reinterpretations within an interoperable knowledge graph.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Canon and fanfiction definitions

Challenges of multi-context fictional characters

Ontological conflicts in modelling

Fans Reconstruct Heroes: Modeling Fictional Characters in Participatory Culture Journal Title XX(X):1–29 ©The Author(s) 2024 Reprints and permission: [sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav](sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav)[ ](sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav)DOI: 10.1177/ToBeAssigned [www.sagepub.com/](www.sagepub.com/) SAGE Xiaoyan Yang1 and Federico Pianzola1 Abstract The study of fictional characters has always been a crucial part of literary research, and the rise of participatory culture has made character representation increasingly dynamic and complex. This paper focuseson thecharactermoduleof theGOLEMontology—aformalframeworkformodellingandcomparingfictionalcharactersacrosscultures,narrative traditions,and readingcommunities—andmakesthree distinct contributions First,it providesatheoret callygrounded accountofthemodule’sdesign,situatingkeydecisionswithinestablisheddebatesinliterarytheory,fromstructuralist character functions to cognitive narratologcal approaches Second, it presents a formal comparson against existing ontologies forfictionalcharacters,demonstratingthatno existingmodel simultaneouslysupportscross work character identity,context specificattributevariability,provenanceofreinterpretations,andflexblelinkingofcharacterinstances across narrative versions. Third, it contributes an empir cal case study on Greek mythology fanfiction from Archive of Our Own, evaluated through ten expert formulated competency questions as SPARQL queries The dual layer model G0 Character Stoff/G1 Character),acontrolledvocabularyderivedfrom 3,211characterfeatureconcepts,andthe SPARQL based evaluation togetherdemonstrateGOLEM’scapacity torepresent both canon calcharactersationsand fan drivenreinterpretations withinasingle interoperableknowledgegraph. Keywords Conceptual Modeling, Ontology Design, CIDOC-CRM, Knowledge Graph, Cultural Analytics, Computational Literature Study, Digital Humanities Introduction The analysis of fictional characters has long held a central place in literary scholarship, as characters serve as fundamental agents in narrative progression and thematic expression (Eder et al. 2010) . In the context of contemporary participatory culture—particularly within fan communities—the modes of engagement with and reinterpretation of fictional characters have evolved, becoming increasingly multifaceted and dynamic. Fans not only consume the original stories but also actively engage in creating their own adaptations, such as fanfiction, which give new life to fictional characters and expand narrativesin various directions (Jenkins 2012) . This phenomenon has brought new challenges and opportunities for the study of fictional characters. We define canon as orig nal authorial work (e.g., Homer’s Iliad, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter’s series) and fanfiction asderivativenarrativesthatdeliberatelyalter thecanon calcharacters’traits,relationships,or plot whilekeepingrecognisable the characters’identity. Dynamic reworking of canonical texts not only reflects the creative engagements offan communities, but also poses unique challenges and opportunities to analyze the representation of characters across cultures, genres, and platforms (Fathallah 2017) . The dynamic and multi-contextual nature of fictional characters can be modeled leveraging semantic web technologies and knowledge organization systems, but it also poses interesting challenges. First, the same character often exists across disparate narratives, including canonical works, fan adaptations, and transmedia expansions, each offering conflicting or 1 Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, The Netherlands Corresponding author: Xiaoyan Yang, Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. [Email: xiaoyan.yang@rug.nl](Email: xiaoyan.yang@rug.nl) Prepared using sagej.cls [Version: 2017/01/17 v1.20] evolving traits, relationships, and backstories. Second, there are various, sometime

FAQs

What is the focus of the paper on fictional characters in participatory culture?

It focuses on modelling and comparing fictional characters across cultures and narrative traditions, especially in fan communities where reinterpretations are common.

What does the GOLEM ontology’s character module provide?

It provides a formal, theoretically grounded framework for designing and comparing character representations across canonical works and fan adaptations.

How is GOLEM evaluated in the paper?

The study includes an empirical case using Greek mythology fanfiction from Archive of Our Own, assessed through expert-formulated competency questions expressed as SPARQL queries.

Aug 21, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle