Uncomfortable Theory
Reading Abigail Derecho, 'Archontic Literature' in 'Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet', ed. Hellekson and Busse. I appreciate the historical perspective on rewritings by minorities, but the idea that fanfiction is something women do because it fills their need for nurturance and emotional gratification is making me very uncomfortable. I mean, I'm a woman (which not all fic writers are) and I'm not so big on nurturance and emotional gratification myself. If there's a bit of h/c thrown into a well-developed story, all well and good, as long as doesn't get too sentimental. But quite often I'd rather a gripping plot, missed narrative arc or brilliantly cracky send-up. Relatedly, Sheenagh Pugh suggests in 'The Democratic Genre' that men are more likely to want plot and women to want emotional scenes.
I like plot....
I like plot....