Everyone's a Superhero: A Cultural Theory of Mary Sue Fan Fiction as Fair Use

Abstract

Lieutenant Mary Sue took the helm of the Starship Enterprise, saving the ship while parrying Kirk's advances.At least she did so in the unofficial short story by Trekkie Paula Smith."Mary Sue" has since come to stand for the insertion of an idealized authorial representative in a popular work.Derided as an exercise in narcissism, Mary Sue is in fact a figure ofsubaltern critique, challenging the stereotypes of the original.The stereotypes of popular culture insinuate themselves deeply into our lives, coloring our views on occupations and roles.From Hermione Granger-led stories, to Harry Potter in Kolkata, to Star Trek same-sex romances, Mary Sues re-imagine our cultural landscape, granting agency to those denied it in the popular mythology.Lacking the global distribution channels of traditional media, Mary Sue authors now find an alternative in the World Wide Web, which brings

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