The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Scholarly Commons ...

emotional, or cognitive); they trespass upon others‟ property; they grab it and hold onto
it; they internalise its meaning and remake these borrowed terms” (Jenkins, 1992, p.
62). I did not engage in poaching myself, an enamoured exercise in producing amateur
fan fiction and online products. I sought out published fan-works instead, specifically
pastiches. When reading the pastiches, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (1994) and The
Veiled Detective (2009), I responded like a consumer; sceptical and economically aware
of the products entertainment value. As a result, I never took to the novels and was
constantly critical of their portrayal. Having been cultivated in such a way, I returned to
the enchantment of the original products.
Enamoured fan and educated fan
From my ethnographic experience, I surmised that the group commonly described as
enthusiasts embodies two separate avenues of cultivation: enamoured and educated.
Sandvoss (2005), commenting on Abercrombie and Longhurst‟s audience continuum
(1998), defined enthusiasts as fans who have ceased consuming “the original mass-
mediated object of [their] fandom” (p. 31); instead, they are now defined by “their own
activity and textual productivity” (Sandvoss, 2005, p. 31). In relation to Bourdieu‟s
social hierarchy (as cited in Hills, 2002), the knowledge and involvement of enthusiasts
aligns them within the category of dominated bourgeois: “The dominated fraction of the
bourgeoisie relies on (and seeks to increase) its highly developed cultural capital”
(Hills, 2002, p. 48). According to Hills (2002), this elite group of fans consists of
“bohemians, scholars, [and] intellectuals” (p. 47). However, in using the term “elite”, I
imply that cultivation and division still exists. McLaughlin (as cited in Hills, 2002)
believes that there is the cultivated state of an elite fan, while Hills (2002), coinciding
with Bourdieu‟s theory (as cited in Hills, 2002) of hierarchical dominance, believes in
the powerless elite. The enamoured fan is often a fan driven by emotion and
favouritism. I am not saying that they are any less of an enthusiast than an educated fan;
however, they remain emotionally enchanted consumers. The enamoured fan has the
potential to remain powerless unless they seek a higher educated or professional
position within their fandom. I, at this stage, became committed to finishing the canon.
However, while I returned to the original products with a newfound appreciation for the
texts, having read pastiches and seeing various adaptations, I still harboured enamoured
tendencies and therefore returned to the original product wanting to relive the
enchantment of Granada‟s adaption. Under the influence of Granada‟s imagery, I read
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905/2005d) and the first novel of the canon, A Study
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