pddb at demesne.com writes: > On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 10:43:46PM -0600, David Dyer-Bennet wrote: > > Fides <fides at kludgeco.com> writes: > > > > > David Dyer-Bennet wrote: > [snip] > > > > Parody is protected fair use, so that's not at issue. Most fanfic > > > > *is* a tragedy. The better fanfic is a tragedy *twice* (they should > > > > have been writing something original). > > > > > > Why? I have read some very good fan fic that wouldn't have been half > > > as effective if had been totally original and some that would have > > > been impossible if they had been original. If fan fic writers wanted > > > to write something totally original they would (and some do that as > > > well) but that isn't what they are trying to do when they write fic. > > > > Rehashing somebody else's universe just isn't very interesting for me > > to read. For somebody with actual talent to get trapped into it is > > doubly tragic. > > Um. Oh dear. I love you anyway. 8-) However: > > In the first place, from one viewpoint, several of my novels are > fan fiction set in the universe of the Child Ballads. I think fan > fiction is a natural human activity, and the line between it and > original fiction is very blurry. > > In addition, what some people have an actual talent FOR is that > kind of writing, so that's not a tragedy for them to be doing it. > > And finally, good fan fiction doesn't rehash. It transforms, > it sheds light in dark corners, it subverts, it brings out > or invents subtext and nuance; it can be alternate history or > revisionist history or both. I've also thought recently that > one reason I like fan fiction is that I find TV and movies > compelling and even addictive, but ultimately lacking in what > I like most about fiction. Fan fiction, by turning their universes > into prose, translates those universes into a language I can > appreciate. This would also explain why I really do not care at > ALL for fan fiction based on original prose fiction. That's > already in the right language for me and very few writers, whatever > their basic caliber, can successfully (by my standards) write > in the universe of a writer I love. Maybe I should look for fan fiction about books I *hate*. Those I might enjoy seeing subverted. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/ John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info