Okay? Okay. | The Fault in Our Stars Fandom

INTRODUCTION

Fan art of the film version (8)

One of many popular novels by John Green, The Fault in Our Stars was published in 2012. The book is told from the point of view of Hazel Lancaster, a 16 year old girl with cancer. After being forced to attend a support group for kids with cancer, Hazel meets her love interest, Augustus Waters. Thus begins an epic love story between two young adults that are desperate to experience life. This novel also features a book within a book, which serves as the main bonding element between the two main characters. Eventually The Fault in Our Stars was turned into a film, which released in 2014 (6). 

The fans of The Fault in Our Stars engage with their favorite book in many ways. Fans are actively engaged with the author, John Green, and have consequently become fans of all of his works as well. Another aspect of the fandom is the creation of art in various styles, the extension or rewriting of the story, and the application of quotes, ideas, and themes from the book into their regular lives. 

ENGAGING WITH THE AUTHOR

Many fans of The Fault in Our Stars have become fans of John Green himself. Known for his young adult novels and his educational YouTube channel, John Green has developed quite a large fanbase.

One important aspect of all fandoms is the "fandom name." The "fandom name" refers to what people in that fandom would call themselves. The Fault in Our Stars fans engage in their fandom by debating and choosing their preferred fandom name (3). On a discussion board about the novel, fans from around the world suggested possible names for the fandom, such as The Support Group, Side Effects, and Imperials (3). These three suggestions are direct references to various aspects of the story. Although the fans wanted to create a specific name for their fandom, many eventually blended themselves into the already existing fandom for John Green. John Green's fans are called "Nerdfighters," which is a reference to his YouTube channel (3). However, some fans of The Fault in Our Stars still claim a separate identity from the Nerdfighters, specifically because they are only fans of this book. One fan claims that "[m]ost of the time [we are] just Nerdfighters, but if you don't watch any of the [YouTube] videos and have only read TFiOS, then you're a Side Effect" (3).  

Fan art depicting Hazel and a quote (8)

Besides debating over the fandom name, fans of The Fault in Our Stars attend meet and greets, book signings, and other opportunities in order to meet John Green and the actors from the film adaptation. John Green interacts with the fans as well through social medias such a Tumblr and Twitter. He even hand-signed every pre-ordered copy of his novel, going as far as to ask his fans to vote on the color of Sharpie he used when signing (6). In true John Green fashion, he also reached out to fans of The Fault in Our Stars to ensure all of those who pre-ordered a book would receive a signed bookplate even if their bookstores ran out of the pre-signed copies (6). 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Many fans engage with the novel, the fandom, and the author through different social medias and websites. For example, there are many fandom blogs on Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as websites specifically dedicated to the fandom (4). This specific website is run by 4 fans from 2 different countries, and consists of engaging with the author, interacting with the cast of the film adaptation, tweeting about fandom news, and sharing scenes from the film and book (4).  

FANFICTION

Spoiler alert! Because main character and heartthrob Augustus Waters dies as the end of the novel, many fans have turned to websites such as Wattpad in order to create alternative endings, most in which Augustus lives (7). There are also other fanfictions that portray varying relationships with other characters (4). Although these versions of fanfiction are quite popular in the fandom, one genre of fanfiction is particularly interesting. As I mentioned previously, The Fault in Our Stars features a book within a book; the fictional book, titled An Imperial Affliction by fictional author Peter Van Houten, is Hazel's favorite book and favorite author and in turn drives most of the plot of The Fault in Our Stars. Although readers get vague themes and plot elements about An Imperial Affliction, fans wanted to expand on the fiction by creating their own short story versions (2). 

ARTISTIC CREATIONS

A meme referencing the death of Augustus (5)

Along with the creation of fanfiction, fans also created other art forms. Most notably, some fans designed book covers related to The Fault in Our Stars and An Imperial Affliction, which inspired author John Green and his publisher to utilize fan art as the cover of another one of his young adult novels (6). 

Fans create many forms of art including drawings, paintings, and digital designs and display them in a equally various amount of ways: posters, drawings, stickers, clothing, jewelry, and memes like the image to the left (5). As seen throughout this blog, fan art revolves around key quotes, images, characters, and inside jokes from the novel.

LASTING IMPACT

The Fault in Our Stars became as popular as it is because of the impact the story and its characters has on its readers. Just as many books do, this novel inspires its fans to apply the themes and quotes into their lives. One fan claims that she learned that "[y]ou don't have to be famous to lead an extraordinary life...it's good to have hope that you can do something [positive in life], but it doesn't have to be some huge, big thing for it to be important" (4). Other fans claim to love the book because "[i]t was like someone understood" the struggles of illness (4). 

Fan art showing Hazel and Augustus and a quote from the book (8)

It is safe to say that although some may view The Fault in Our Stars as a cheesy, young adult novel, dedicated fans connected and are inspired by the story. And really, all avid readers and fans of novels alike can ask is for an impactful and enjoyable story, which is exactly what John Green provides fans in The Fault in Our Stars. 

Citations:

(1) Bennett, Alanna. “Is Peter Van Houten's 'Imperial Affliction' a Real Book? Here's What You Need To Know About John Green's Creations.” Bustle, Bustle, 6 June 2014, www.bustle.com/articles/26735-is-peter-van-houtens-imperial-affliction-a-real-book-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about.

(2) Famouxx. “An Imperial Affliction.” Wattpad, 7 June 2014, www.wattpad.com/53594967-an-imperial-affliction.

(3) Goodreads. “The Fault in Our Stars - What Should The Fault in Our Star Fandom People Be Called? .” Goodreads, Goodreads, 2021, www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1493808-what-should-the-fault-in-our-star-fandom-people-be-called.

(4) Greco, Patti. “Meet 3 Women Who Make ‘Fault In Our Stars’ Fandom Their Job.” Cosmopolitan, 9 Oct. 2017, www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a7130/fault-in-our-stars-fans/.

(5) Pinterest. “The Fault in Our Stars Fandom: Cambio Photo Gallery: The Fault in Our Stars Quotes, The Fault in Our Stars, Star Quotes.” Pinterest, 13 Jan. 2021, www.pinterest.com/pin/799037158865954463/.

(6) Wikipedia. “The Fault in Our Stars.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars.

(7) Zuckerman, Esther. “'The Fault in Our Stars' Author John Green on Fandom and His Favorite YA Romances.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 6 May 2014, www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2014/05/the-fault-in-our-stars-author-john-green/361732/.

(8) images found via Google Images