I Love Your Book, but I Love My Version More: Fanfiction in the English Language Arts Classroom

Aug 27, 2026

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Fanfiction written by young readers extends existing stories from popular media into new alternative narratives, endings, and genres. In English language arts classrooms, fanfiction can harness the shared reader–text community to motivate spontaneous, personal responses to literature. The document explains how fanfic authors use literary terminology, organize work with genres and chapters, label deviations as “canon” or “failing to be canon,” and develop online etiquette. It also highlights how students’ critique, revision, and high-level interpretation support Bloom’s Taxonomy and strengthen metacognitive and metalinguistic abilities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

The Rise of Fanfiction

Fan Fiction Defined

Fanfiction Community and Classroom Use

The Language of Literature in Fanfic

Genre, Chapters, Sequels, and Reviews

Canon and Online Slang

Etiquette and Self-Governance

Educational Value for Student Reading and Writing

Engagement, Archetypes, and Motifs

Cognitive Depth and Revision

Kerri L. Mathew and Devon Christopher Adams I LoveYour Book, but I Love My Version More: Fanfiction in the English Language Arts Classroom A t midnight on August 2, 2008, the final install ment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series, Breaking Dawn, hit bookstore shelves across the globe. But, regardless of whether Bella would chose Jacob Black or Edward Cullen as her final paramour, or whether she would become a vampire or remain mortal in Meyer’s grand finale, millions of children and teens had already finished the novel. For months they had been formulating extensions of Bella’s story—alternative narratives, new twists, and their own endings. Many of them, after finishing the final book . . . again . . . pressed their computers’power buttons, connected to the Internet, navigated to their favorite websites, and began typing their own versions of what might have happened or what they hoped would happen to bring the series to its conclusion. They returned to what has become a favorite literary destination for so many young people: fanfiction, or fanfic. Fan fiction is just what the name implies: it is fiction written by fans, often teenagers, of novels, movies, television, or other media. This fiction is based in the worlds created by the authors, but young fans extend, elaborate, or appropriate the text for their own purposes. Fanfics come in many different recognized genres, and some innovative, even multimodal forms, as well. The world of fan fiction is inhabited by a community of authors and readers, where critics argue that the point of intersection between reader and text is the only true place where the work “exists”(Keesey 128) . English language arts teachers can tap into this community and intersection to engage learners on their own virtual turf. Although fan fiction can be written about a vast array of popular and classic novels, the fiction arising from the wildly popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer works especially well for introducing how this genre can be used in the classroom. Beware,“spoilers” for the Twilight series are necessary to best illuminate this sensation. The Language of Literature A glance at the popular Internet site [fanfiction.net](fanfiction.net)[ ](fanfiction.net)[hints at the popularity of the fan fiction phenomenon.](hints at the popularity of the fan fiction phenomenon.)[ ](hints at the popularity of the fan fiction phenomenon.)For the Twilight series alone, there are 68,824 fanfiction titles listed, second only to the Harry Potter series, which has a staggering 362,364 fanfics on this one site alone! There are fics associated with diverse books ranging from Wuthering Heights, to Romeo and Juliet, to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Despite the diversity and sheer volume of fics, there is surprising conformity to the standard conventions of writing and use of the literary terminology. Authors of fan fiction, many of whom are young adult readers, take their work seriously and have adopted the language of literature to discuss and describe their own fiction. Authors categorize their work by “genre,” separate it by “chapters” and “sequels,”and ask for “reviews.” Fan written stories that are considered out of alignment in style, characterization, or plot development compared to the inspirational text are described as failing to be “canon.” While these authors use previously extant recognized language with newly understood meanings, they also create new terms, such as “song fic” to describe a piece that is 35 The ALAN Review Summer 2009 organized around song lyrics. Internet slang words area part of the conversation as well, such as “flaming,”a verb that describes an angry remark or review of apiece of writing. Participants join online communities or create their own, and most fanfics and fanfic sites begin with a disclaimer that the author does not own the characters or the situations, and that contributors are only “bor

FAQs

What is fanfiction and how do young writers use it?

Fanfiction is fiction written by fans, often teenagers, that extends worlds created by original authors. Young writers appropriate and elaborate the source text to create alternative narratives, genres, and endings for their own purposes.

How does the document describe the “language of literature” used in fanfiction?

Fanfic authors adopt literary terminology such as genre, chapters, sequels, and reviews, and they apply terms like “canon” to judge alignment with the original text. They also create new labels (e.g., song fic) and use community slang in online discussion and critique.

Why can fanfiction be useful in English language arts classrooms?

The document argues that fanfiction helps students engage with texts they enjoy and respond more personally and spontaneously. It supports sophisticated writing through critique, revision, and high-level interpretive work aligned with cognitive skills described via Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Aug 27, 2026

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