Big bang reveal and literature

[chiiyo86]

-The Big Reveal has finally been posted on spn_j2_bigbang, so I can now officially thank roque_clasique for claiming my story, and for doing it so soon and sparing me the agony of having to wait for days before I knew who my artist was! I'm sure it will be an exciting collaboration, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. I'm going to try to find the motivation to go

Comments

[galathea_snb]

Well, I guess that depends on how you define 'literature'. I mean, per definition every fanfiction is literature in the sense that it is a text. :) But I guess you mean something wider, if fanfiction is 'art' in the same sense as published books are? I think the obvious difference between fanfiction and literature is that fanfiction isn't 'original fiction' as it feeds off of an already existing creative work of someone else. It has a context that is independent from the fictional work itself - i.e. the show/book/movie plot the story is set in - and requires the reader's knowledge of that context to be understood. I think that's why a lot of people wouldn't consider fanfiction literature, however well written.

I have read fanfiction stories though that are original fiction, mainly in RPF, where no real boundaries are set. Unlike for example in SPN fic, where writers are bound to the rules of the SPN universe Kripke & Co created. In any case, I've read fanfiction that was way better than a lot of published books I've read, so I don't think fanfiction is worth any less than original fiction.

[chiiyo86]

Yes, obviously I mean a definition of literature a little more narrow than a "text" or there wouldn't be any need for discussion!

I agree that that it all comes down to the fact that fanfic "borrows" characters from someone else, and whether you think that it disqualifies fanfic from being literature. What triggered my interrogation was also when I thought about what is considered without any doubts as literature - I thought about French classical theater (authors like Racine, or Corneilles) because this is the kind of stuff I studied in class. Those authors almost never invented original characters, since they borrowed a lot from Greek legends (that were already the subjects of some Greek tragedies). That's just one example, there are hundreds of others.

and requires the reader's knowledge of that context to be understood.

That's an interesting point... It's true that a lot of fanfics assume their readers have a certain knowledge of "canon" which makes them difficult to read by outsiders.

I have read fanfiction stories though that are original fiction, mainly in RPF, where no real boundaries are set.

I've read some RPF too, and it complicates the discussion a little further. I agree that there are fanfics better written than some published books - but also I don't think that every published book can be considered as literature!

I don't think fanfiction is worth any less than original fiction.

No, definitely not.