Meta: 'Time' Article on Fanfic...
Best line I've read all day:
"Fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker."
Heh. Touché.
Seriously, the totally fabulous dracavia sent the link to this article to me today, entitled "The Boy Who Lived Forever" and it was, to coin a phrase, fascinating reading. So fascinating I have the dying need to discuss it with my beloved flist (Yes, this is a hint. More like a nudge, actually ;-)). You can find the article here. From the title you'd assume that the article addresses Harry Potter fanfiction... and you would be right, but the main thrust of the article is about fan fiction as a whole, both as a movement and a passion, thus Star Trek has it's mention too and was, in fact, given the distinction as being the grandaddy of slash (rightly so):
"Star Trek went on the air in 1966, and the first Star Trek fanzine appeared in 1967. It bore the instantly definitive title Spockanalia.
Even back then it was apparent that fan fiction was not just an homage to the glory of the original but also a reaction to it. It was about finding the boundaries that the original couldn't or wouldn't break, and breaking them. Issue No. 3 of Spockanalia included a story called "Visit to a Weird Planet," in which Kirk, Spock and Bones are transported to the set where Star Trek is being filmed and get confused with the actors who play them (Bones: "I'm a doctor, not an actor!"). Spockanalia No. 4 ran a story in which Spock has an affair with a fellow Federation officer. These were homages to Star Trek, but at the same time they were critiques: I love the show, but what if it went further? What happens if I press this big, shiny, red button that says "Do not press"?
It was a way to bring to light hidden subtexts that the show couldn't address. For example, what if the tense, rivalrous friendship between Kirk and Spock included an undercurrent of sexual attraction? That's not an idea Hollywood could touch, but in 1974 an adults-only Star Trek zine called Grup published a story called "A Fragment Out of Time," which featured Kirk and Spock in a gay love scene. (The characters are unnamed but recognizable, and anyway the illustrations give them away.)
The premise of "A Fragment Out of Time" became so popular that it acquired a shorthand label: Kirk/Spock, or just K/S, or eventually just slash. Slash has since become a generic term for any fan fiction that pairs two same-sex characters, be they Holmes/Watson or Cagney/Lacey or Snape/Harry."
Point to Lev Grossman, the author of this article, there doesn't seem to be a "Do not press" button in fandom, does there? There was a panel at KiScon which discussed "Taboos in fanfic" (tkeylasunset that was your panel, right?) and the general consensus was that there are no taboos, simply personal preference. For example, I don't read mpregs, mirror verse or "Jerk Fics" ('jerk fics' is a term I made up for stories which openly villianizes a known character). Not saying that such stories are 'wrong', just that I, personally, don't tend to enjoy them. To each their own, variety is the spice of life. I'm certainly not going to begrudge anyone their love of whatever-floats-their-boat. Kinda the point of fan fiction. ;-)
The article also addresses the legality of fanfic and raises interesting points about whether characters can be owned. The author used Shakespeare as an example, pointing out that Shakespeare didn't invent Hamlet or King Lear. You could argue that's a slippery slope, certainly, but a good point nonetheless.
He also brought up authors, such as Anne Rice (who is, apparently, really, really bitchy about it... needless to say her quote in this article rubbed me the wrong way) who actively forbids fanfic utilizing any of her characters (fine by me. imho, Anne Rice hasn't had anything 'fanfic worthy' since "Queen of the Damned" so yeah, no thank you anyway).
Anyway, neat article. Fascinating read. Definitely check it out.
BTW nix_this there is a line in this article that made me think of you, with utter fondness...
"One of the axioms of Internet culture is known as Rule No. 34: "If it exists, there is porn of it."
Note: I've unflocked this post in case anyone stopping by wants to comment as well. :-)
"Fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker."
Heh. Touché.
Seriously, the totally fabulous dracavia sent the link to this article to me today, entitled "The Boy Who Lived Forever" and it was, to coin a phrase, fascinating reading. So fascinating I have the dying need to discuss it with my beloved flist (Yes, this is a hint. More like a nudge, actually ;-)). You can find the article here. From the title you'd assume that the article addresses Harry Potter fanfiction... and you would be right, but the main thrust of the article is about fan fiction as a whole, both as a movement and a passion, thus Star Trek has it's mention too and was, in fact, given the distinction as being the grandaddy of slash (rightly so):
"Star Trek went on the air in 1966, and the first Star Trek fanzine appeared in 1967. It bore the instantly definitive title Spockanalia.
Even back then it was apparent that fan fiction was not just an homage to the glory of the original but also a reaction to it. It was about finding the boundaries that the original couldn't or wouldn't break, and breaking them. Issue No. 3 of Spockanalia included a story called "Visit to a Weird Planet," in which Kirk, Spock and Bones are transported to the set where Star Trek is being filmed and get confused with the actors who play them (Bones: "I'm a doctor, not an actor!"). Spockanalia No. 4 ran a story in which Spock has an affair with a fellow Federation officer. These were homages to Star Trek, but at the same time they were critiques: I love the show, but what if it went further? What happens if I press this big, shiny, red button that says "Do not press"?
It was a way to bring to light hidden subtexts that the show couldn't address. For example, what if the tense, rivalrous friendship between Kirk and Spock included an undercurrent of sexual attraction? That's not an idea Hollywood could touch, but in 1974 an adults-only Star Trek zine called Grup published a story called "A Fragment Out of Time," which featured Kirk and Spock in a gay love scene. (The characters are unnamed but recognizable, and anyway the illustrations give them away.)
The premise of "A Fragment Out of Time" became so popular that it acquired a shorthand label: Kirk/Spock, or just K/S, or eventually just slash. Slash has since become a generic term for any fan fiction that pairs two same-sex characters, be they Holmes/Watson or Cagney/Lacey or Snape/Harry."
Point to Lev Grossman, the author of this article, there doesn't seem to be a "Do not press" button in fandom, does there? There was a panel at KiScon which discussed "Taboos in fanfic" (tkeylasunset that was your panel, right?) and the general consensus was that there are no taboos, simply personal preference. For example, I don't read mpregs, mirror verse or "Jerk Fics" ('jerk fics' is a term I made up for stories which openly villianizes a known character). Not saying that such stories are 'wrong', just that I, personally, don't tend to enjoy them. To each their own, variety is the spice of life. I'm certainly not going to begrudge anyone their love of whatever-floats-their-boat. Kinda the point of fan fiction. ;-)
The article also addresses the legality of fanfic and raises interesting points about whether characters can be owned. The author used Shakespeare as an example, pointing out that Shakespeare didn't invent Hamlet or King Lear. You could argue that's a slippery slope, certainly, but a good point nonetheless.
He also brought up authors, such as Anne Rice (who is, apparently, really, really bitchy about it... needless to say her quote in this article rubbed me the wrong way) who actively forbids fanfic utilizing any of her characters (fine by me. imho, Anne Rice hasn't had anything 'fanfic worthy' since "Queen of the Damned" so yeah, no thank you anyway).
Anyway, neat article. Fascinating read. Definitely check it out.
BTW nix_this there is a line in this article that made me think of you, with utter fondness...
"One of the axioms of Internet culture is known as Rule No. 34: "If it exists, there is porn of it."
Note: I've unflocked this post in case anyone stopping by wants to comment as well. :-)