It is a truth universally acknowledged that Trekkies were the first fandom. But uni-
versal acknowledgment does not make a truth true. In fact, Adrianne Wadewitz,
a feminist scholar of 18th-century literature, set Wikipedia straight on this point
over a decade ago, when she identified the first fandom subculture as the Janeites,
the network of Jane Austen stans who found their prime directive, Austen idolatry,
around 1870. Star Trek: TOS didn’t air until 1966. Q But what does this matter,
PRIDE AND
PREJUDICE
Why it is necessary to recognize Jane Austen fans as the
avant-garde of digital culture.
BY VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
MIND GRENADES
ILLUSTRATION / LUCY JONES 0 1 7
