So, I have never been a big one who is devoted to a fandom, but I did find researching fandom to be pretty interesting. I researched Doctor Who's fandom for my assignment mainly because I found the show interesting, but have not ben invested enough in it, that I felt like I was an expert on the show or my feelings of the show would have been impacted by what I learned from fans. I focused my assignment on theories based around one specific character in the show, but I found it amazing how open, energetic, and invested fans are into the series.
It was really strange to read reaction about the Doctors leaving and new ones coming in. Fans seem to grieve a loss of the old and try to reject the new, even though this is a process that they have experienced time and time again. Eventually, they become loyal to the new doctor, and will then repeat the cycle again. I find that it is strange how emotionally invested that fans get to a character that they know may not last long, but this gives them an opportunity to theorize and speculate about the version of The Doctor.
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| http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/jd52bbea1b.jpg |
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| http://cdn4.nerdapproved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/doctor-who-doctors-office.jpg I love the different images and items around the Doctor's Office referencing Doctor Who |
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| http://theberry.com/2013/11/23/happy-50th-doctor-who-27-photos/ This one doesn't seem extreme to me, just how a fan would wear a costume |
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| http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/f3/43/3cf343c21f2e7a60e678ac3872061ca9.jpg I think this one was of my favorite, because of the detail, and I found it really artistic. |
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| http://globalgeeknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Doctor-Who-Wedding-Cake.jpg |
This final one was definitely the most shocking for me, it's a TARDIS coffin, and corresponds with the story of a 26 year old who had his funeral completely themed to Doctor Who….
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| http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191224/Dr-Who-lookalike-sent-Tardis-style-coffin.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191224/Dr-Who-lookalike-sent-Tardis-style-coffin.html |
The website just tells the story of the fan's funeral, which is interesting and very detailed with what was included from the show. I do not by any means think that all Doctor Who fans are invested to this degree, but I do think that it is interesting that the show affects people to extremes, and allows them to be less conventional.
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| http://www.deantfraser.com/Doctor-Who-Springfield-Punx-Philip.jpe |
You pose a very interesting question: why do fans care so much about a characters whose defining feature is that he dies? I've never really given it much thought myself but one of the things that could be that very fact. The only thing singular and unchanging about the Doctor is the name he chose for himself (as well as the fact that he's a European male with white skin -- but let's ignore that for now). The promise he made all those centuries ago. Each man adventures, chooses companions and keeps that promise in his own way. The journey is what the fans love, flying through the Vortex with their version of the Doctor: big-eared and scarred, long-limbed and pretty, young and powerful. Yes, the fans inevitably have their favorites but each one lives on in the next even though the past causes the Doctor nothing but pain.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good question, and I suspect this investment has something to do with the way the Time Lord set up works. Lloyd is on to something by listing the things that stay the same with each transformation. The Doctor is always the Doctor, his basic mission and purpose remain the same, and he always brings someone along. It seems that the different incarnations are answers to different “what if” questions. What if the doctor was a grumpy old man? What if he were a dashing hero, or somewhat obsessive compulsive, or scatterbrained? And so on. Each Doctor is an experiment in who the Doctor could be and each explores a different side of his cumulative history and identity. I think the fans get invested in each because each offers a unique look at the character. It’s unsettling right before they change him because it is difficult to believe that there can be yet another side or another successful experiment until it actually starts working.
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