Canon consistency within fandoms, and perception of canon
Canon consistency within fandoms, and perception of canon
By way of an introduction, I’m not well established in online fandom in general. I started off in Harry Potter fandom, moved from there to Star Wars, and am dabbling in a few other fandoms. From my own limited experience and my interaction with other people in fandom, I have a few questions that I’d love some input on from as many people as possible. Please pimp this to your f-list if you think they may be able to help me out or may find other contributions interesting.
In my first fandom, Harry Potter, what was classed as canon seemed, a few minor mistakes apart, a very cohesive and consistent thing. There is only one creator of canon, who makes an effort to ensure that her creation is consistent. The film versions of the books add another dimension, changes are made to make the story work on the big screen but there is a consultation process with the Goddess of all that is HP. The Star Wars Universe was a little bewildering to me at first. There’s the films, which may or may not have minor consistency issues. There’s the EU, with its myriad of authors and angles in novel, comic book, video game and probably a few other formats I’ve forgotten.
Even as a relative newbie, I’ve spotted inconsistencies in the films and EU that seem to me to be more significant than those I’ve noticed in HP canon. Details such as Yoda referring to Count Dooku as ‘my old Padawan’, when according to EU canon Dooku was apprenticed to Thame Cerulian could be explained away as a turn of phrase. The inconsistency in whether lightsabers operate under water (Obi-Wan's lightsaber gets fried in a swamp in the novelisation of TPM because he didn't power it down, but he and others engage in underwater battles with lightsabers in other EU novels) could be down to the individual nature of lightsabers or development over time. I don’t know, and please correct me if you know reasons for these things. I tend to view anything that contradicts the films as a mistake, where the EU contradicts itself it’s an inconsistency that may or may not have an explanation beyond the carelessness of individuals. Where the films contradict themselves, I sigh at George Lucas. And I have a different view of canon in SW fandom because of these inconsistencies. Though I like to know the rules before I bend them, I’m less uneasy about things that don’t fit in both writing and reading.
Through chatting to people in other fandoms I’ve encountered the idea that canon may not be a consistent or cohesive thing at all. In some comic book stories (I’m referring to commercially published stuff here) a character may have several histories explaining how they came to be who they are, which may be entirely inconsistent with one another. That idea makes me both anxious and enthusiastic. As a fan, I’m anxious because I want to know what I’m talking about and what the hell is going on here. As a reader, I’m a little insecure about not quite knowing what I’m expecting from fanfiction in that fandom. As a writer, I’m enthusiastic because I feel like there’s more room for artistic licence, but concerned about which details I can and can’t mess with. I’m fine with both writing and reading AU fic. But someone else’s AU is like someone else’s sandwich. I might not like what you’re having. I’m in fandom because I like the canon version, and in fanfiction I’m usually there for more of the same. It’s nice to see variety, and to be surprised, but still, I prefer to be sure of what I’m getting in many ways. I’d love to have time to read widely, but such is life.
I wonder, in fandoms where canon is a fluid and flexible creature, whether writers and readers of fanfiction take a different view of canon. Is there a noticeable lack of criticism of fanfiction that refers to canon inconsistency? Do writers feel less anxious about making their fics canon-tight (however you choose to interpret that)? Do readers feel secure in fandoms where canon is relatively consistent because, mistakes-to-be-flamed apart, they know what they’re getting? Do they feel less irritated by inconsistencies in fanfiction in fandoms where there are already many inconsistencies in canon? How does fanon fit into this? It can be fun, but it can also be annoyingly predictable. Am I the only person who gets irritated that so many people are convinced Remus Lupin loves chocolate, when there was a perfectly sensible explanation for him being equipped with it at all times in PoA, and we maybe shouldn’t all assume it’s accepted fact he liked the stuff? Do I need to chill out and get a life there?
Opinions, please. Pretty please. With the naked fandom character(s) of your choice on top.
Tell me:
What fandoms you are in.
How they compare in terms of canon consistency.
How you view canon as a fan, or as a reader or writer of fanfiction (or all three).
Whether differences in canon consistency influence the way you read or write fanfiction in different fandoms (if you do).
Whether you think it influences the majority of people you’ve encountered in your fandom.
What you think about fanon and its place in your fandom(s).
Please play nicely. Try not to insult anyone else or their playground. Many thanks for any and all contributions.
ETA: Many thanks to whoever pointed the folks at metafandom in this direction, and to anyone who has passed this on to their f-list. I've had some fascinating responses from people whose fandoms, in my ignorance, I've never even heard of. All very useful information. I'm still sifting through and thinking about the responses I've had, but whilst I'm finding time to comment on them, thanks very much for your input.
AJ