In the Glee fandom, meta writing and discussions by fans seem to share two important characteristics. One is that meta discussions are communal; meta writing is a fandom-building activity in which people build off of each other’s ideas and create a greater whole from one initial observation. The second is that meta writing functions as a form of play; even though the discussions are academic in nature, the exchange of ideas is lighthearted and supportive rather than critical or competitive. Meta writing allows those who are not necessarily well-versed in academic critique to engage in critiques of Glee and find patterns, symbolism, allusions, and other kinds of structure in the costumes, songs, colors, jewelry, and props used in the show. This paper will examine numerous instances of meta analysis written in the fandom and examine how meta reveals new aspects of the characters and new insights into the production of Glee itself. The costumers, set builders and decorators, and the fans themselves are able to create new levels of meaning for characters and plot lines through the use of color, space, clothes, and physical objects.
This paper is part of the panel “‘The Show Must Go All Over the Place’: Glee and Off-Screen Cultural Transformations” with Sheryl Lyn Bundy, Connie Shih, and Elizabeth Downey.
About the presenterEmily Hamilton-Honey
Dr. Emily Hamilton-Honey is an Assistant Professor of English and Humanities and the Gender Studies Curriculum Coordinator at SUNY Canton. She received her PhD in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. from Western Michigan University. Her book From Spiritual Guides to Eager Consumers: American Girls’ Series Fiction, 1865-1930 was released by McFarland Publishers in March of 2013. She also recently completed “’Everything is Klaine and Nothing Hurts’: Glee, Klaine Fandom, and Explorations of Teen Sexuality by Female Fanfiction Writers,” co-authored with Amy Patrick and forthcoming in Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee, as well as “The Girls of 83 Round Hill Road: Boarding Houses, Social Interaction, and the Culture of Consumption at Smith College, 1892-95” in the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth 5.3. Her other research interests are wide, including American women in World War I, Harry Potter, Louisa May Alcott, and Sherlock Holmes.