fanfiction issues
kyotaku had found and posted a journal entry from a writer Robin Hobb about a fanfiction, stating that she agrees with her. I don't. And so I wanted to comment on her note and state my own opinion, but it turned out to be too long for a comment, so instead I'm doing a response post.
it's going to be looong XD
( discussion follows here )
it's going to be looong XD
( discussion follows here )
are you aware I worte two full pages in word? ;3 It is LONG XD I realy didn't think it would become so long. I adressed the issues that are usually discussed when dealing with fanfiction by various people I had talked with and in essays I had to read about literary plagiarism.
1.
I'm trying to think of a fan fiction in more general terms rather than only those erotic, pornographic ones. You can find many kinds of them afterall. I think erotic writings serve a different purpose, and I think that de Sade is a nice argument for this thesis. But, as I said, while writing I thought of fanfiction as fiction based on the story, not erotic-centered.I would argue that if you don't like the way the characters are used in a fanfiction - don't read them (and I know you don't), but that's not really the point. Once again I will use the world literature example - there are archetypical characters that appear in various books or stories and it seem alright to use them. It is still not clarified what really is plagiarism and what is not, what criterium is needed for a work to be called a fraud and what is art. I'm using this argument here just to underline the fact that in terms of "stealing" the characters it is not so obvious what is using, what is stealing and so on. Although I do know what you meant. And as I said before - the book lives in minds of the readers, many use the characters to toy with in their mind some need to write it down. For fun, for amusement, for excercise. Is that really stealing? I think it's a really complex matter with no definite answer, as many thinks around litearure aspects.
2.
I read none of Hobbs books, and now I know that for sure. I made sure by asking about Eddings (did I spell correctly?), so I adressed her arguments not the situation she found herself in or her prose. Also I don't know why you read a book, since there exist plenty of possible motivations.
Of course what happened in the book, happened in the book. We can always hunt down the author and made her/him write what we want (like in King's Misery, right?). Also I think that no author should disregard reader's wishes, of course not every single one, but author has food to put in hers/his mouth because readers read, to put it on a very simple level. Also the author has not, and in this I am on with many theorists, the knowledge of the book as a piece of art - again it's about interpretation and the relation between the book and the reader, the book and the author. Though the author is cosidered to be dead by the literary therosists (Barthes was first to argue that to be true). So the book at some point is no longer attached to the authors wishes and wants (though it's just theoretical jibberjabber). And again - if you are not interested in the people's made up stories in a given universe just don't seek them and don't read them. As I argued before there may be reasons why this work was created that we don't know of and won't know of, though, theoreticaly speaking again, they don't matter. And honey you tell so flatly you hate lies, yet you read them all the time. Stories are lies of fiction (just a funny observation). I write fanfiction "about the bands", but as I always told you those are characters of the story and not the real people. And I had to tell you that writing them helped me write my own stories and re-reading them heleped me relieve MA induced stress ;p
Reply
I understand authors wants their stories to sell well, but I prefer authors writing their own stories, how they want them to be, not fulfilling fans wishes (like fe. what happens with manga in general).
It's normal to say don't read them. I don't. And I was so quiet about this for so many years. But now I'm angry enough to say 'I don't think this is right'.
Reply
I know, I know ^-^" From the way I'm sitting I would say that it's teh story that wants to be told, it's filtred through the authors mind and shaped in the individual language, style, likes and dislikes. I just wanted to point that out, since it's not really unimportant factor. Sometimes popularity is good or not good for books. Indulging in one's greatness doesn't do any good to a good story now, does it?
But, hell, King managed to do just that with his Green Mile! Still he's too unharmonious with his writings and I don't know enough of his books to argue on this one.
Now, now, now. I'm arguing here that is not as bad as your anger portrays it. Look on how mant arguments I brought. It has it's dark side and it's bright side. So let's calm down and look at this interesting thing from all angles and from within as well ;3 buahahahahahhaa! vivisection time~~!
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I think I will be just truly unfair and ignore all the bright side things you're trying to point out XD Anyway it's not that I can tell anyone to stop writing/reading ff. It's just me who do not like it and I was actually very happy that author I really like share my opinion ^ ^
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