As such I think this is one of those situations, as with academia, or book reviews, or politics, where good manners may be not always be more important than a robust dialogue.
This is a very interesting point. On certain levels, I agree with you. In the same way that I feel fans (or an audience in general) have the right to discuss and debate the source material which has drawn them together, I agree that fanfic can be seen as an extension of this discussion.
However, extension though it might be, I do see a dividing line between discussion and fanfic, thin or otherwise. It's a line which may not actually prove of much signficance... until or unless the creator of the source material weighs in on the matter. This distinction may be purely a matter of my personal comfort with the issue, but I know how I would feel, as an author, if I explicitly asked for people to respect my creation, only to have that request ignored.
That said, I also (sometimes) feel that the more... vituperative... requests made by some authors to that purpose seem to have at least the result, if not the intent, of insulting the fanbase rather than defending the creator's position. In this, as in everything else, there are good and bad examples of both sides.
Ultimately, however, I think my discomfort with the idea that fanfic can, in some cases, trump deference to the author, stems from what I consider to be the slippery slope of the whole "my interpretation is more valid than the author's" mode of thinking. I realize that this is loosely based in a general school of thought in regards to approaching literature as a whole, but then, it makes me uncomfortable there too. < wry g >
I have seen the "personal interpretation matters more than authorial intent" argument produce vehemently defended fanfiction which stands in direct opposition to the source material which inspired it, and when it comes to that point I guess I just have to wonder why one would be writing fanfic for the story at all, if seemingly what one desires to do with it is merely to produce something which no longer resembles the original material anyway.
I realize, however, that this is not the argument you're making. :) I'm merely attempting to explain why I personally lean first toward the "deference trumps all" side of the fence, in general.
But as an eager fanfic writer myself, I can say that I totally understand/agree with all the examples you listed, as reasons for feeling compelled to write derivative fiction.
Also:
They tend to have relatively transparent writing styles, because if what I love the books for is the narrative tone (as with Pratchett or Austen) I'm unlikely to capture it to my satisfaction, or to be happy without it.
This is key, for me. And also why I feel very comfortable writing fanfic for tv or movies, but very rarely comfortable writing it for books. Unless the writing style is relatively transparent, I don't feel comfortable or even eager to wade in; I'd much rather read it by the master, because that's what I love about it in the first place - the fact that it's never something I could have crafted on my own, and therefore something that can move me in ways nothing I write ever could.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2004-10-19 09:18 pm (UTC)This is a very interesting point. On certain levels, I agree with you. In the same way that I feel fans (or an audience in general) have the right to discuss and debate the source material which has drawn them together, I agree that fanfic can be seen as an extension of this discussion.
However, extension though it might be, I do see a dividing line between discussion and fanfic, thin or otherwise. It's a line which may not actually prove of much signficance... until or unless the creator of the source material weighs in on the matter. This distinction may be purely a matter of my personal comfort with the issue, but I know how I would feel, as an author, if I explicitly asked for people to respect my creation, only to have that request ignored.
That said, I also (sometimes) feel that the more... vituperative... requests made by some authors to that purpose seem to have at least the result, if not the intent, of insulting the fanbase rather than defending the creator's position. In this, as in everything else, there are good and bad examples of both sides.
Ultimately, however, I think my discomfort with the idea that fanfic can, in some cases, trump deference to the author, stems from what I consider to be the slippery slope of the whole "my interpretation is more valid than the author's" mode of thinking. I realize that this is loosely based in a general school of thought in regards to approaching literature as a whole, but then, it makes me uncomfortable there too. < wry g >
I have seen the "personal interpretation matters more than authorial intent" argument produce vehemently defended fanfiction which stands in direct opposition to the source material which inspired it, and when it comes to that point I guess I just have to wonder why one would be writing fanfic for the story at all, if seemingly what one desires to do with it is merely to produce something which no longer resembles the original material anyway.
I realize, however, that this is not the argument you're making. :) I'm merely attempting to explain why I personally lean first toward the "deference trumps all" side of the fence, in general.
But as an eager fanfic writer myself, I can say that I totally understand/agree with all the examples you listed, as reasons for feeling compelled to write derivative fiction.
Also:
They tend to have relatively transparent writing styles, because if what I love the books for is the narrative tone (as with Pratchett or Austen) I'm unlikely to capture it to my satisfaction, or to be happy without it.
This is key, for me. And also why I feel very comfortable writing fanfic for tv or movies, but very rarely comfortable writing it for books. Unless the writing style is relatively transparent, I don't feel comfortable or even eager to wade in; I'd much rather read it by the master, because that's what I love about it in the first place - the fact that it's never something I could have crafted on my own, and therefore something that can move me in ways nothing I write ever could.