there will be time, there will be time to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet

That subject line alone should tell you--if my blog title didn't already--that I'm something of a nerd about many things literature-related, especially the poetry of T.S. Eliot. I'm fascinated by language in general and how it develops in actual usage, in particular in the context of slang and idiom, and the effect of new technologies on language definitely comes into play there. As an internet user and member of several fandoms myself, I enjoy watching language and memes evolve almost in real time. For this specific project, I plan to study fanfiction and the general phenomenon of fandom that surrounds it, especially the way language and behavior has affected and been affected by fandom developments. Fandom itself is huge and nebulous, so I intend to focus on the Doctor Who fandom, dedicated to a science fiction show from the UK that is more than broad enough to cover the spectrum of fannish behavior.