Hi! Long time no post...

[greenlady2]

But I have something interesting for your consideration, if anyone is still here.  A Doctoral Dissertation, no less.  On Smallville!  Well, well, well.

Here's the link, and I have a few comments after the cut.

http://gradworks.umi.com/3457264.pdf

Comments

[sheliana]

This crap gets doctoral dissertations written about it?.. My faith in humanity has just taken another hit.

Sorry, don't have anything more intelligent to contribute. I just cannot wrap my mind around the fact that such an objectively bad show still has smart people thinking about it and analyzing it and trying to make sense of it...

[greenlady2]

'This crap gets doctoral dissertations written about it?'

Yup. More than one, apparently, though I have not ventured to check out the rest.

'My faith in humanity has just taken another hit.'

Yours and mine both.

'...I just cannot wrap my mind around the fact that such an objectively bad show still has smart people thinking about it and analyzing it and trying to make sense of it...'

I know the feeling.

I've read most of the dissertation at this point, and there's some interesting stuff in it. The author makes some good points. The thing is, the show itself doesn't live up to what he's writing about it. It's like... what would be a proper analogy? Writing an opera based on 'Mary had a little lamb'? Nah. Worse than that. :-)))

[sheliana]

>>Yup. More than one, apparently, though I have not ventured to check out the rest.... )

[greenlady2]

"Why? Why? WHY

[sheliana]

>>Why do people take it seriously? Part of the answer to this might lie in the fact the show purports to be about Superman, who is the world's favourite superhero and has been for many years. It's the whole 'God-like being uses his powers for good' concept.... )

[sheliana]

As for smallvlle... I thought recently: who of Smallville's characters remained consistently LIKEABLE from the begnning to the end? Not just root-worthy, but really likeable? As much as I love Lex, he was written so horribly thnat I can't say I consider him likeable in his last seasons. Not at all. Who of the characters on this show ever had a long, solid friendship/relationship that was not tainted by lies, distrust, contempt, passive-aggressive accusations? No one. Not a single person. Even the rock-solid Jonathan-Martha relationship was tainted by the end.

I just can't understand how people can love the show that consistently makes a point of presenting its characters as bitter, shallow, lying assholes. and offers almost no positive feelings to make up for it. Although I do get th desire to save early seasons Lex from that cesspool. He was worth it.

But I no longer read SV fanfic because I just can't take more of SV's ugly world anymore.

>>I can't choose what inspires me, it just happens.... )

[greenlady2]

"...But I no longer read SV fanfic because I just can't take more of SV's ugly world anymore..."

I sympathize. I read almost nothing in the fandom, and I miss all the fun stories about Clark and Lex that used to pop up on a regular basis.

"...But I think it's very important to counter-balance it with positive fannish emotions...."

I agree. The thing is, I think that my experiences have scarred me, so that the idea of hunting down another fandom and trying to interact with the other fans therein, freaks me out. I have some favourite shows that I love, the least of which is brilliant compared to SV, but I can't face actually talking about them with other fans. I've tried, but the joy has been drained out of me, when it comes to things like fan communities.

SV has a lot to answer for, doesn't it? But I'm betting we'll never get an explanation, let alone an apology.

[sheliana]

>>Ican't face actually talking about them with other fans. I've tried, but the joy has been drained out of me, when it comes to things like fan communities<<

I actually feel the same way and don't interact with fans too much. At all, actually.:) But still, just reading happy, squeeing fans and sharing their joy of the canon that you love is amazing. Or even sharing their frustration because a canon has let you down.

>>Some people have suggested that this was to make Clark look better by comparison. But why not just make Clark a better character? <<

LOL, Clark became a thousand times worse than he was in early seasons. It's even acknowledged sometimes in the show itself! So no, I do not think the writers wrote Lex worse on purpose. They were just... bad writers who were not capable of anything better.

>>I loved the early version of Lex, and the character from fan fiction, and I put those characters together and created my own. I just can't stop caring about him, I guess. ... )

[greenlady2]

"...but right about season 4 or 5 they gave up and embraced the Shallow completely. Even Lex was written as shallow in his last few seasons...."

Yes. Some people have suggested that this was to make Clark look better by comparison. But why not just make Clark a better character? How hard could that have been, for God's sake? The producers just didn't care, IMO.

"...I realized the Lex that really kept me in the fandom was the one from fanfic..."

Same here. I loved the early version of Lex, and the character from fan fiction, and I put those characters together and created my own. I just can't stop caring about him, I guess.

"...Hell, there are shows that I consider shallow (like Stargate) that redeem themselves by having genuinely likebale characters, and I completely get the desire to improve on such shows."

Exactly. There are shows that are bad, but the characters are worthwhile. SV had neither good characters nor good stories, I totally agree.

And yet look! It has dissertations! :-)))

[greenlady2]

"I wish...fanfic writers, turned their attention to better, worthier stories

[sheliana]

>>I know that some SV fan fiction writers get tons of feedback, they have lots of friends in the fandom still, and their name is well known. I guess some of them don't want to give this up. Unless they're well known in fandom in general, if they move to a new one, they might not get the attention they're used to.<<

It's interesting becuase my impession is different. I know of no person who gets tons of feedback in SV fandom these days. 15-20 comments seems to be the maximum that a popular writer may get, and only if she writes for a pairing-in-demand, like Chloe/Oliver. Overall, it seems 7-10 comments are the norm, and even if it may seem a lot from one perspective, fanfic writers used to get hundreds of comments in not so recent past. t just doesn't seem that there are 'crowds' eading SV fanfic anymore. It seems Clex is practically dead, Chlark is half-dead, and the nly writers who get something foк their trouble are Chlolliers. And even they get a lot lss feedback than they used to.

[sheliana]

Sorry for the typos. "IT just doesn't seem that there are 'crowds' READING SV fanfic anymore." "And even they get a lot LESS feedback than they used to."

[greenlady2]

No problem. :-)

[greenlady2]

You're probably right and I'm basing my impressions on info from years ago. Though there is an awards thing going on right now where people sent in over 600 nominations for fiction, videos and icons. Also, there are several Clark/Lex stories posted on AO3 every week. Some of these are old stories just being posted now, but others are new. I don't read anything but Clark/Lex, and scarcely any of that these days, so my concept of the fandom is quite probably skewed and outdated. :-)))

[sheliana]

I took a look at those awards. I respect the people doing this and the hard work they have undoubtedly done. But... I honestly do not see the point. Are we supposed to vote for a Best Overall Story, Best Drama, Best WIP and pick among the Clex, Chlark, Chlollie, etc.? Does anyone honestly think that this is not a mere pairing popularity contest? Would a Chlollie fan vote for anything other than a Chlollie fic? Would Clex fans read Chlark and vote for it? I highly doubt that. What is the point if everyone knows that the results of these awards would only reflect whichever pairing is more popular and has more readers at the moment

[greenlady2]

"...I... don't think some of those fics would have been nominated if the fandom was as prolific as it used to be..."

Well, I didn't get nominated, and I was mad for a short time, then got over it. It was just a brief feeling of being left out of the party, I think. I see the awards as a popularity contest too, but from a non-nominated writer, that sounds like sour grapes. :-)