Having an academic moment...
What follows is an extract from a college essay written on the role of elements of fantasy and magical realism in House fandom. Somehow this counted as academic, by virtue of my advisor for the project being very liberal and just as eccentric.
Because most of what I write in fandom contains those elements, I thought I'd post here an explanation of why they fascinate me so much. Comment at will, please.
Canon and the Appeal of Alternate Universes
In large part, what makes writing fan fiction appealing is the opportunity to explore familiar characters more deeply and in ways that the canon will not. Sometimes this takes the form of vignettes exploring moments that are referenced but occur off the page or screen; on the more extreme end of the spectrum is the ‘alternate universe’ genre: fan fiction’s reply to that adage that goes, “Know the rules. Then break them.”
All fan fiction reinterprets to an extent, but alternate universe (often abbreviated ‘AU’) fiction reinterprets radically. In the House fandom, that often means stories incorporating elements of fantasy or magical realism (the distinction, of course, lies in how ‘normal’ the characters find any fantastic elements that appear in an otherwise fully rational setting).
Considering that House canon scorns the fantastic, opting to follow the hyperrational approach its titular character prefers, there are a surprising number of stories in fandom that rely on myth and magic to carry their plots. To my mind, the explanation lies in the entertainment value of these stories, which, in turn, owe that value to the attraction of fan fiction’s ultimate purpose: character exploration.
Because House is hyperrational, he is guaranteed to face lycanthropy, vampirism, spontaneous shrinking, or suddenly waking up with wings (just to name a few of the more common scenarios) with a scathing dismissal of the existence of magic and, shortly thereafter, rigorous application of the scientific method to the problem. And when logical and biological laws inevitably fail him, House must do what the canon will never demand: consider irrational explanations and ultimately admit that the illogical is not necessarily the invalid. By extension, he must also admit that irrationalities beyond magical phenomena-namely, altruism, selflessness, and unconditional love or friendship-may nonetheless be real, although his cynical view of human nature, wherein every action is reducible to motivation by forces of biology and/or self-interest, dictates otherwise.
Viewers admire House’s diagnostic innovation and the casual audacity with which he breaks laws-social and ethical as well as those on the books-but his refusal to consider the irrational is frustrating: people can and do perform altruistic acts without an ulterior motive, and without the emotions underlying those acts being symptoms of illness. Although certain characters allow glimpses into humane, sympathetic aspects of House’s personality, this genre effectively acts to jar House’s worldview enough to force confrontation of the underlying problem: his refusal to accept that caring can come without conditions and can be a motivator in its own right.
Not to worry: the post following this will contain work in my usual modes.
Because most of what I write in fandom contains those elements, I thought I'd post here an explanation of why they fascinate me so much. Comment at will, please.
Canon and the Appeal of Alternate Universes
In large part, what makes writing fan fiction appealing is the opportunity to explore familiar characters more deeply and in ways that the canon will not. Sometimes this takes the form of vignettes exploring moments that are referenced but occur off the page or screen; on the more extreme end of the spectrum is the ‘alternate universe’ genre: fan fiction’s reply to that adage that goes, “Know the rules. Then break them.”
All fan fiction reinterprets to an extent, but alternate universe (often abbreviated ‘AU’) fiction reinterprets radically. In the House fandom, that often means stories incorporating elements of fantasy or magical realism (the distinction, of course, lies in how ‘normal’ the characters find any fantastic elements that appear in an otherwise fully rational setting).
Considering that House canon scorns the fantastic, opting to follow the hyperrational approach its titular character prefers, there are a surprising number of stories in fandom that rely on myth and magic to carry their plots. To my mind, the explanation lies in the entertainment value of these stories, which, in turn, owe that value to the attraction of fan fiction’s ultimate purpose: character exploration.
Because House is hyperrational, he is guaranteed to face lycanthropy, vampirism, spontaneous shrinking, or suddenly waking up with wings (just to name a few of the more common scenarios) with a scathing dismissal of the existence of magic and, shortly thereafter, rigorous application of the scientific method to the problem. And when logical and biological laws inevitably fail him, House must do what the canon will never demand: consider irrational explanations and ultimately admit that the illogical is not necessarily the invalid. By extension, he must also admit that irrationalities beyond magical phenomena-namely, altruism, selflessness, and unconditional love or friendship-may nonetheless be real, although his cynical view of human nature, wherein every action is reducible to motivation by forces of biology and/or self-interest, dictates otherwise.
Viewers admire House’s diagnostic innovation and the casual audacity with which he breaks laws-social and ethical as well as those on the books-but his refusal to consider the irrational is frustrating: people can and do perform altruistic acts without an ulterior motive, and without the emotions underlying those acts being symptoms of illness. Although certain characters allow glimpses into humane, sympathetic aspects of House’s personality, this genre effectively acts to jar House’s worldview enough to force confrontation of the underlying problem: his refusal to accept that caring can come without conditions and can be a motivator in its own right.
Not to worry: the post following this will contain work in my usual modes.