I LOVE THIS ARTICLE!! I love how seriously and academically and lyrically it takes what is usually stigmatized as frivolous in literary circles. It makes me nostalgic for Harry Potter fandom, and I wasn't even IN Harry Potter fandom.
As far as close reading, I find that I'm not particularly drawn to look for subtextual ships in a text. I could say it's because I don't feel hopeful about finding subtext that isn't queerbaiting (intentionally or otherwise), but I think it's more just that my approach to ships in fanfic is more about exploring what if Person A and Person B were involved than feeling passionately that they are or should be involved. Which is maybe in part because a lot of my fandoms are RPF, where authorial intention is less of a thing (though there are sometimes things that ride the line between fan service and queerbaiting).
no subject
As far as close reading, I find that I'm not particularly drawn to look for subtextual ships in a text. I could say it's because I don't feel hopeful about finding subtext that isn't queerbaiting (intentionally or otherwise), but I think it's more just that my approach to ships in fanfic is more about exploring what if Person A and Person B were involved than feeling passionately that they are or should be involved. Which is maybe in part because a lot of my fandoms are RPF, where authorial intention is less of a thing (though there are sometimes things that ride the line between fan service and queerbaiting).