English

Noun

litfan ‎(plural litfans or litfen)

1. (fandom slang) A science fiction fan primarily interested in written science fiction.
   • 1994 November 13, Laurie Mann, “Re: Do we need rec.arts.sf.fandom.media?”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom, Usenet, message-ID <3a51lf$83p@terrazzo.lm.com>:

     There's certainly some overlap between litfen and mediafen, but there's also a distinctly different audience of mediafen, who may never look at this group.

   • 2001 August 17, Chris Croughton, “Re: Any thoughts appreciated.”, in uk.people.sf-fans, Usenet, message-ID <slrn9nqri2.651.chris@ccserver.keris.net>:

     Personally, I was apalled^[sic] at the divisions I saw within Star Trek fandom, where people wearing "Original Series" uniforms were sneered at far worse than I've seen from 'trufans', and the way some media fans sneer at others for watching the "wrong shows". Forget 'litfen' versus 'meejafen', the mediafen seem to be their own worst enemies.

   • 2014 January, Williams, Neil, “Letters of Comment”, in Space Cadet, volume 12, number 1 (whole number #25), page 7:

     Point is we weren't a pack of "mediafen barbarians", we were real, live, young litfans (and hardly any of us read any fantasy, were SF fans); but we were from the burbs and we were unfannish.

Usage notes

Where a person is specified as a litfan it is often in opposition to being a mediafan (fan of film and/or television) within science fiction fandom.