I consider what's done with source to be as important as the source. Myths, religion, fairy tales -- the reason they work as source material is that they're in theory part of the greater public consciousness. So any reworking of the elements takes that greater awareness and subverts it, or modernizes it, casting it in a way that sheds light on the here and now from the vantage of the greater mythic scope.
I definitely agree! I think part of the attraction of fan fiction for me is that certain TV shows (I rarely read fanfic based on books just because the difference in authorial voice really throws me off) have become part of my own personal mythology. As such, it's horribly graitfying to find other people who share that same "mythology" and who are creating a dialogue/monologue/whatyouwill with it via LJ or mailing lists. So while Buffy or Angel may not be part of the greater public consciousness of the world, it is a large part of the greater public consciousness among many people whose LJ's I read... it's a little like sharing a secret language.
I think because of that level of community, works that would normally not have been on the same level of myth or fairy tales are elevated to that level because of that shared language. It's also interesting because I think fanfiction (along with, of course, reviews, discussion, and etc.) does create a sort of discussion between the reader of the fanfic and the text itself. I've read fan fiction that has changed my point of view of some characters on Buffy or Angel and made me see parts of the show in a different light by being able to concentrate on a specific theme or image.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2004-10-20 09:02 pm (UTC)I definitely agree! I think part of the attraction of fan fiction for me is that certain TV shows (I rarely read fanfic based on books just because the difference in authorial voice really throws me off) have become part of my own personal mythology. As such, it's horribly graitfying to find other people who share that same "mythology" and who are creating a dialogue/monologue/whatyouwill with it via LJ or mailing lists. So while Buffy or Angel may not be part of the greater public consciousness of the world, it is a large part of the greater public consciousness among many people whose LJ's I read... it's a little like sharing a secret language.
I think because of that level of community, works that would normally not have been on the same level of myth or fairy tales are elevated to that level because of that shared language. It's also interesting because I think fanfiction (along with, of course, reviews, discussion, and etc.) does create a sort of discussion between the reader of the fanfic and the text itself. I've read fan fiction that has changed my point of view of some characters on Buffy or Angel and made me see parts of the show in a different light by being able to concentrate on a specific theme or image.