DePaul Spring English Conference 2019

1. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
fan fiction in the renaissance classroom:
using transformative works to help
students take ownership of past texts
LAUREN ROUSE
@rouselaurenc

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
MAIN TOPICS
Introduction
Transformative Works in History
Fan fiction as a Creative Writing Tool
Rebecca Black
Katherine Anderson Howell
Adaption Assignment
Conclusion
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3. INTRODUCTION
users can explore their creative style, develop their
reading and writing skills, as well as, build a community
of like-minded people where users can interact and
discover skills and traits, and change their perceptions of
the world around them
@rouselaurenc

4. "only one year of a 20-year war; […] it stills begs for
continuation. The next entry in the series, Homer’s
Odyssey, is a work that many claim surpasses its
antecedent. Centuries later, Virgil composes his Aeneid:
and both in the early modern period and today these three
works are inevitably though of together... (Basu 2-3).
THE ILLIAD
[fan fiction] is not only just a legitimate as commercially
published work but also more likely to inspire youths to
produce and actively engage in the processes of sharing
and circulating literature (Garcia 353).
SHAKESPEARE
TRANSFORM
-ATIVE
WORKS IN
HISTORY
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5. REBECCA BLACK
"the digital literacy skills as identified by various twenty-first
century consortiums include proficiencies such as basic,
scientific, economic, technological, visual, information, and
multicultural literacies and global awareness. These skills
resonate with research across disciplines exploring the potential
impact of technological advances, global connectedness, the
economics of attention, and participatory culture on youth’s
learning and literacy practices" (123).
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6. REMIX CLASSROOMS TAKE “TEXT-CENTER
APPROACHES, FOCUS ON ANALYSIS,” “PRACTICE
CENTERED AND COMPOSER-CENTERED
APPROACHES” (120) WHICH ULTIMATELY ALLOW
STUDENTS TO MAKE CHOICES ABOUT HOW THEY
BLEND THEIR MATERIALS. HOWELL ARGUES
THAT REMIX CLASSROOMS “OFFERS STUDENTS
LITERACY AND VALUE IN THE CLASS WORK, AS
WELL AS CITIZENSHIP."
-KATHERINE ANDERSON HOWELL
@rouselaurenc

7. writing fan fiction
Identify four or five key details or plot
points.
Keep under a word limit
May prevent from being confused with
extraneous details
SELECT A PLAY
Recasting them allows for students to use
media characters that they are comfortable
with
Find characters within the MCU that can be
mapped onto the play's characters
RECAST THE PLAY
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Steve Rogers
super soldier, fights
for justice, kind,
prideful, honorable,
humble, bravery,
devoted (to justice
and what is right)
Edward II
a noble (untouchable
in ways), prideful,
devoted (to
Gaveston), moody,
fights for justice

8. writing fan fiction
Can possibly help when reproducing the
text to have a more familiar setting.
Can solve problems of the plays, which
could be an interesting twist
RECAST THE SETTING
Can include fanart retellings through
comics, dramatic readings using characters,
storyboards and other multimedia projects,
as well as a journaling, a research paper,
and other creative works
WRITE THE STORY
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9. CONCLUSION
The act of transforming a Renaissance play into fan
fiction will allow for students to access commonly
inaccessible material. The act of rewriting the plays will
give the students ownership over the material they are
reading, which can change their views on the older
material of the Renaissance that they feel they cannot
connect to. Finally, fan fiction will allow for them to
explore their creative sides and gain valuable online
literacy skills.
@rouselaurenc

10. THANK YOU
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
TWITTER
@rouselaurenc
EMAIL
lrouse3@depaul.edu
WEBSITE
https://depaul.digication.com/rouselaurenc