Fan Mail Through the Years
According to "Fans and the Objects of Their Devotion" by Barbara Ryan and Charles Johanningsmeier, "Despite the widespread pejorative use of fan to describe someone who fervently admires without much thought, most academics who study fans have chosen to focus on the ways in which they act as “fanciers” who possess discrimination and fine sensibilities," (Ryan and Johanningsmeier, 1). We can then rigtfully regard Dunn's fans, not as fanatics, but well-read intellects (although some letters do possess a bit of the fanatical personality.) This speaks to the letters expressing thoughtful positive feedback to Dunn's poems. The fanatic comes in some letters with extreme praise and perhaps oversharing. However, "Fans and the Objects of Their Devotion" gives validity to fandom and sees them as an important part of studying a public figure.
The article goes on to state why fan mail can be an important part of research.
"Such positive attributes of fans, these scholars assert, make them people who should be listened to carefully. John Tulloch, for instance, has asserted that fandom “marks . . . the society where experts are dethroned,” and, indeed, many scholars who have studied fans’ writing have used these long-neglected sources to argue that they represent rich evidence that differs from, and often works against, the emphases and conclusions of scholars..." (Ryan and Johanningsmeier, 2). Studying Dunn's fan mail has been a crucial part of our experience learning about Dunn. Just like the article suggests, fan mail can tell us evidence that scholars could not.
Ryan, Barbara, and Charles Johanningsmeier. "Fans and the Objects of Their Devotion." Project MUSE [Johns Hopkins UP]. Penn State Press, n.d. Web. 4 May 2016. <http://muse.jhu.edu/article/513286>.