A Counterweight to the Recent Fan Fiction Bashing...

[harmony_bites]

Some fan fiction bashing by Diana Gabaldon, GRR Martin and Katherine Kerr (recap here) has been mentioned on my f-list lately. Ironically, when this came up, I had been reading the bestselling Temeraire books by Naomi Novik--they've been optioned by Peter Jackson who produced the Lord of the Ring films. I came across this in the author

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[christinex1001]

I found this gem from John Rogers of Leverage while following this topic around the blogosphere

[harmony_bites]

First off--really *cool* quote.

The must-read list? You can find it here and it's taken from The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List. Given I overindulged in fanfic so around February I felt about it the way I do about turkey after Thanksgiving, I've been using that list to cleanse the palette--specifically (and alternately) the fantasy and literary fiction list. I found I've read a lot on that fantasy list already--the literary list I had only read two though. So far thumbs down in the fantasy list has been Terry Brooks LotR's rip-off (talk about fanfic...) Sword of Shannara and David Drake's Lord of the Isles (and yeah, I noticed the low rating when I looked afterwards--usually even crud has 4 and a half stars). Novik's books are a definite thumbs up, so you can imagine my delight over her attitude about fan fiction.

Literary list--thumbs down--way down on Tortilla Curtain, but I loved A Handmaid's Tale and absolutely adored Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I now want to go and read

[christinex1001]

I've actually read more of those than I thought. One of my favorites is Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg -- I actually read that as it was serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and I adored it. Technically it's science fiction because Majipoor is another planet, but the overall feel is more fantasy than SF.

[harmony_bites]

More than one of those is more sci-fi than fantasy. Certainly McCaffrey's Pern is--those dragons, the threads--all have a science gloss--Pern is a "lost colony." I also recall The Crystal Cave as more historical fiction than fantasy--but it's been several years since I've read it. Tanith Lee's Biting the Sun is futurist science fiction--I don't think anything about it is like fantasy that I recall.

And I love all three of those btw--and a whole lot of the books listed. It makes the choice of Duncan all the more puzzling. And Wintertide by Linnea Sinclair. Never heard of her, and I think that book is already out of print. Most of the others I've at least heard of even if I had never gotten around to reading.

I haven't read Silverberg at all. Which is kind of strange. I have as much sci-fi as fantasy on my bookshelf and am a fan of both genres, and he's celebrated in both. Soemthing to look forward to.

[christinex1001]

Also (had to make a new comment because the last one was so long):

That listing of pro fanfic from bookshop was epic. I'm definitely going to point to that if I get into any more dust-ups over fanfic (I actually did, with someone also published with PPB; the awesome part is that the publisher herself is pro-fanfic, so she told the other author to STFU).

[harmony_bites]

That listing of pro fanfic from bookshop was epic.

And yet not comprehensive--can't be--the list would exceed a LJ post, and what's more it makes a case for a very wide definition of fan fiction which would make a wide swathe of published fiction fall under that territory--for instance every single instance of historical fiction. Definitely not original world or characters that--but one that must capture another voice and personality.

Two not listed leap to mind. As latin geek and Aeneid enthusiast wonderfulwrites has pointed out to me, Dante's Divine Comedy is fan fiction of a sort--with self-insert--but most of all with the character of Virgil--cuz Dante was a big fan boy.

Gabaldon's own romance Outlander then falls into fanfic for two reasons--1) Uses historical figures and world--spiritually akin to fanfic 2) Apparently her hero, Jaimie Frasier is modeled on a Dr Who character--she apparently even sent a copy to the actor. So fanfic!

Lee Goldberg? Writes Diagnosis Murder media tie-ins. Fanfic

[christinex1001]

Kerr and Goldberg in particular crack me up. As someone in another post said (paraphrased), "Guess it's okay as long as you're getting paid for it. Funny, that's not what they told me in sex ed!"

[harmony_bites]

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Oh, that's just too good...

[mundungus42]

I love Naomi Novik- she's one of those people I'm thrilled has been hugely successful (and really, age of sail + dragons- how could that NOT be amazing?). And Peter Jackson optioning her work is news to me, but I couldn't be more excited! Props to her for the shout-out to the fan community, and props to Michael Chabon, whose entire canon I still need to read after loving K&C (Mr. 42 is now referring to Cameron and Clegg as Kavalier and Clay). And THANK YOU for that amazing list of published fanworks- amazing amazing amazing! *smooches you*

[harmony_bites]

(and really, age of sail + dragons- how could that NOT be amazing?)

Easily actually--I kinda rolled my eyes at the premise--but I won an early review copy of her latest coming out in July, so I decided to start reading her series. These are *not* McCaffrey's dragons--Temeraire is this delightful mixture of brilliance and naivete and definitely his own person--in comparison to Novik's creations Pern's dragons are just pets. Awesome pets--but not comparable. And damn, I think you can see the fanfic influence in how she nails a early 19th Century voice a la Austen or O'Brien. (And less happily perhaps, a slash orientation in how so far the male/male relationship are so much more important than any relationship with a mere female--even if she does have a couple of kickass female characters)

and props to Michael Chabon, whose entire canon I still need to read after loving K&CI'm still this side of flabberghasted at that book. Literary masterpieces aren't supposed to be that fun! Something that fun isn't supposed to be a virtuoso work in

[mundungus42]

I was sort of "meh" on Pern and actively disliked Eragon, but had high expectations for literary dragons from Cornelia Funke's "Dragon Rider." It's true, it could have been awful, but I knew she liked Austen and O'Brian, so I figured I was in for a treat.

Your comments on K&C mirror my thoughts. So many literary masterpieces are a slog- it's the rare masterpiece that holds me in thrall with storytelling rather than just impresses me with verbal/intertextual cleverness or structural sleight of hand. Chabon's the real deal, and thankfully wise enough to know that no literature is entirely original. I think I would like to have lunch with him.

[harmony_bites]

I was sort of "meh" on Pern and actively disliked Eragon, but had high expectations for literary dragons from Cornelia Funke's "Dragon Rider."

Haven't read Eragon or Funke--I think Pern jumped the shark but loved the first three Dragonrider books and the first three Harper Hall books. They're comfort food reads for me in fact (along with a lot of Lackey). Something I reread to be with some old friends. I haven't read her more recent books though--and I wonder if she's even really written them, or if her son took over even before he had a credit.

Chabon's the real deal, and thankfully wise enough to know that no literature is entirely original. I think I would like to have lunch with him.

I'm tempted to pick up Wonder Boys next--he's that rare writer that having read one book, you just want to go and tear through the rest. But I will instead go to the next on my "cleaning my fan fiction clogged palete" list. Which is Cunningham's The Hours--Mrs Dalloway fanfic basically.

Which will be a challenge. Because I hate Mrs Dalloway. Got

[camillo1978]

What a great post! I'm going to click on all the links and have a good browse. Thanks for this!

[harmony_bites]

You're very welcome. The big ass list of professionally published fan fiction was eye-opening especially because it made me think of all the classics down the ages that could be considered akin to fan fiction. wonderfulwrites has pointed out to me, Dante's Divine Comedy is fan fiction of a sort--with self-insert--but most of all with the character of Virgil--cuz Dante was a big fan boy.

[camillo1978]

I'm half way through a horribly long drabble series using the GS100 prompt "the nine levels of hell". Dante's fanboy tendancies struck me when I was reading up on it. And he flames people ;-)

[harmony_bites]

He did--it's part of the charm of the Inferno--Purgatorio and Paradisio aren't as much fun (and we lose Virgil at Paradisio--can't let the Pagans into heaven now...

[wonderfulwrites]

"...[A]ll literature, highbrow or low, from the Aeneid onward, is fan fiction....

Wait. The Aeneid is the ultimate fanfic. Vergil read and reread the Iliad and the Odyssey (and a bunch of other Greek literature), fanficed the hell out if it, then passed it off to Augustus Caesar as a grand epic to glorify Rome, and Augustus bought it. In fact, according to tradition, before Vergil died, he wanted his friends to burn it because he hadn't finished the editing, but Augustus apparently told them to disregard that dying request and publish it. Because Vergil was a genius and his fanfic was literally so awesome that the first emperor of Rome put his stamp of approval on it.

Take that fanfic naysayers!

*goes off to stalk Vergil's livejournal*

[harmony_bites]

*goes off to stalk Vergil's livejournal*

Bwaaaaaaaaaa. I'm with you--it doesn't get better in terms of flaying the naysayers than Vergil--Aeneid *is* fanfic. And if Homer is two rather than one authors, then Odyssey is probably fanfic to the Illiad (And I suspect a lot of what is in the Bible, particularly Ruth with its moral against xenophobia, is fanfic). And it doesn't stop with Vergil. How about James Joyce's Ulysses, considered by many *the* great novel? (Although admittedly, not by me... Not a fan of stream of consciousness modernistic writers).