Fandom

Some theorists, like Barthes, have proposed that the audience is an author because they make meaning of a story the way they want to and can do. But, yet we sometimes look at fandom as an unacceptable embrace of audience as author because they are "messing with" the original text. But, in their interaction with the text they are making not only meaning but additional textual material and expanded narratives, allowing them to be authors because of creation. Karpovich brings up a new aspect of audience authorship through the discussion of beta readers, who are often fans and who volunteer to act similar to a copy editor or script editor. Here the audience also can become an author because of their expertise. How fascinating....