Safe Space

: A novel and accompanying critical study into the participatory culture in fandom and a historiographic approach to the fragmentation of popular culture in select novels by Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon.

Abstract

This research is submitted as both a novel and supplementary critical study. It explores the dynamic interplay between media consumers and content creators within the context of contemporary online critical discourse. The study is anchored by the novel Safe Space, a metamodern science fiction novel that explores the tension between progressive and orthodox ideologies within Anglo-American science fiction fandom – a symbolic battle in the Culture Wars.

The investigation uses a historiographic, long durée (or long term) approach to test the hypothesis that periods of cultural anxiety are related to a loss of confidence in great hegemons. The research interrogates the concept of the Culture Wars, defined by Goren and Chapp (2017) as conflicts arising from differing value structures within a heterogeneous society. It examines how these ideological battles manifest in the arts, particularly through the lens of science fiction storytelling. The dissertation reflects on the author’s historiographic methodology, drawing parallels between historical periods of intense cultural anxiety and fragmentation, such as the fin de siècle, and its contemporary analogues.

Methodologically, the study integrates practice-as-research, netnographic observation – i.e., web-based ethnographic research, and literary analysis. It investigates the participatory culture of fandom, as theorised by Henry Jenkins (1992), and the critical discourse surrounding science fiction, highlighting the role of online communities in shaping and challenging media narratives. The novel Safe Space literalises these dynamics by embedding a fan into a science fiction text.

Through case studies of Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon, the dissertation examines how historiographic metafiction can illuminate the cyclical nature of cultural conflicts. By analysing the thematic and narrative techniques of these authors, the study demonstrates how their works provide a framework for understanding the fragmentation and ideological battles within contemporary fan communities. This approach offers insights into the broader implications of these interactions for the future of popular culture.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Plymouth
Supervisor	Anthony Caleshu (Director of Studies (First Supervisor)) & Allister Gall (Other Supervisor)