Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric » (New Edition)

Heather Urbanski is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of Composition at Central Connecticut State University, in New Britain, Connecticut.

"This collection explores topics too often overlooked by traditional academic scholarship, though critical to an exploration of rhetoric and popular culture, including fan fiction, reality television, blogging, online role-playing games, and Fantasy Football. Both scholarly and engaging, this text draws rhetorical studies into the digital age"--Provided by publisher.

Preface 1

Introduction: Blurring Rhetorical Borders Heather Urbanski 3

I React: Maintaining a Fan Community

Essays

1 The Inter(Active) Soap Opera Viewer: Fantastic Practices and Mediated Communities Melissa Ames 19

2 Going Deep: What Online Sports Culture Teaches Us About the Rhetorical Future of Social Networks Michael R. Trice 33

3 Spoiling Heroes, Enhancing Our Viewing Pleasure: NBC's Heroes and the Re-Shaping of the Televisual Landscape Marina Hassapopoulou 45

4 History, the Trace, and Fandom Wank Karen Hellekson 58

5 Writing Wonder Women: How Playful Resistance Leads to Sustained Authorial Participation at Sequential Tart Kimberly DeVries 70

Profiles

6 What the Frell Happened? Rhetorical Strategies of the Farscape Community Sean Morey 83

7 The Realtime Forum Fan Thomas B. Cavanagh 86

8 "As Seen on The Colbert Report": Or, Why I Love Reality TV Georgiana O. Miller 90

II Re-Mix: Participating in Established Narratives

Essays

9 Making Our Voices Heard: Young Adult Females Writing Participatory Fan Fiction Susanna Coleman 95

10 Dungeons and Dragons for Jocks: Trash Talking and Viewing Habits of Fantasy Football League Participants Julie L. Rowse 106

11 Alternate Universes on Video: Ficvid and the Future of Narrative Kim Middleton 117

Profiles

12 Dean, Mai and Snape Walk into a Bar: Lessons in Crossing Over Julie Larsen 132

13 Stars of a Different Variety: Stealth Teaching Through Fanfic Kristine Larsen 135

III Re-Create: Creating Narratives within Established Frames

Essays

14 Writing and Rhetoric for a Ludic Democracy: YouTube, Fandom, and Participatory Pleasure Diane Penrod141

15 World of Rhetcraft: Rhetorical Production and Raiding in World of Warcraft Christopher Paul 152

16 Rekindling Rhetoric: Oratory and Marketplace Culture in Guild Wars Matthew S. S. Johnson 162

17 Virtual Guerrillas and a World of Extras: Shooting Machinima in Second Life Mark Pepper 174

18 Remix, Play, and Remediation: Undertheorized Composing Practices Andréa Davi Suzanne Webb Dundee Lackey Dànielle Nicole DeVoss 186

Profiles

19 Conf(us)(ess)ions of a Videogame Role-Player Zach Waggoner 198

20 Born Again in a Fictional Universe: A Participant Portrait of EVE Online Harald Warmelink 201

21 A Place to Call Home: The Experience of One Guild Char in World of Warcraft Wendi Jewell 204

22 Magic Canvas: Digital Building Blocks Catherine McDonald 207

IV Teaching the Digital Generation

Essays

23 Encouraging Feedback: Responding to Fan Fiction at Different Colored Pens Juli Parrish 213

24 MetaSpace: Meatspacc and Blogging Intersect Elizabeth Kleinfeld 226

25 Meeting the Digital Generation in the Classroom: A Reflection on the Obstacles Heather Urbanski 239

Profiles

26 Making Dorothy Parker My MySpace Friend: A Classroom Application for Social Networks Ashley Andrews 252

27 Novel Cartographies, New Correspondences Jentery Sayers 255

About the Contributors 259

Index 265