Fanficforum Frankfurt

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. “Paranoid Reading and Reparative Reading, or, You're So Paranoid, You Probably Think This Essay Is About You.”

• paranoid reading focuses on flaws
• reparative reading focuses on potential
• but: is it possible to focus on potential without recognising flaws?

Reparative Reading in fanfic. What is actually repaired?

• queer readings of heteronormative constructs
• writing and reading villains as (misunderstood) heroes
• attention on marginalised characters and diversity
• fix-its are generally reparative
• The social context of fanfiction can result in mutual inspiration: fanfic authors may draw ideas from popular tropes or concepts within the fandom.
• The fanfic author and/or reader often set personal priorities in what is reparative. For example, the original female love interest is often discredited in queer readings in order to make the queer shipping work.
• The potential of source texts can lie in many things: queerness (e.g. reacting to queerbaiting), characters (e.g. telling the stories of marginalised side characters), fixing the plot/ending (fix-its), etc.

HP & the Cursed Child fanfic

• queer reading of Albus & Scorpius
• the fic takes the queer potential/queerbaiting of the source text
• potential of source text: diversity
• paranoid reading (acknowledging flaws) is needed for the reparative reading