Just a thought

[hazelk]

Concerning recent conversations about fanfics being conversational gambits rather than works of art set out for the masses to enjoy. The concept has merit, I think, but then it seems to beg the question of what kind of conversation is intended.

Would it be one of those slightly excruciating encounters between groups of near strangers, everyone working to be wittier than the next man? When the big names are involved, are they like posh people talking very loudly on trains, being sure to let the whole carriage eavesdrop on their words of wisdom? Is there water cooler fic? Are some writers the equivalent of that guy who always used to come into class and recite the latest Monty Python sketches verbatim?

On the whole maybe it’s better to maintain the fiction that fic=fiction. A sort of fandom Noble Lie.

Comments

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

Just a thought too...

I wonder if this doesn't question Live Journal.

I mean, there were fanfictions before LJ, and I don't think that anyone had ever pondered the idea of fanfics being conversational gambits rather than works of art set out for the masses to enjoy then, even less discussed it!

Chani

[oursin.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's more that offering fic is the price that people have to pay for participation in the wider fanfic conversation? (A symbolic offering.) Or are there people who play the role of 'Gentle Reader' without themselves writing fic themselves?

My own feeling (from reading the various scholarly studies of fandom, most of which seems to take one angle and ride it very hard, to mix metaphors) is that it's impossible to say writing fanfic/participating in fandom fulfills just one need or is all just one thing: the constituent members of the group at large may have all sorts of different agendas, and indeed each individual may be getting several things out of creating/participating.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

Or are there people who play the role of 'Gentle Reader' without themselves writing fic themselves?

Yep. Moi.

AS for what you said, it sounds quite wise.

Chani

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Academia does tend to encourage the hard ridden approach. It’s harder to publish papers with the thunderous conclusion that every angle has won and they all get prizes. And LJ being set up for conversations I would guess it attracts participants who think of fandom in those terms and they’re also likely to talk about it more than the Gentle Readers, the ‘audiencedom’ in their midst.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Water cooler fic! Bwa-ha-ha!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

:-)

[yourlibrarian]

It's certainly an interesting thought. One thing that occured to me is that some people write their meta analysis in fic form instead of essays. To a degree their fic makes a played out argument of certain interpretations of characters and events.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely and some are quite conscious of the fact. Not to say that fic is just meta in sheep's clothing but it's a component. I used to read a lot more fanfic when I just lurked, it's a more entertaining way to get your canon analysis if you're not going to respond. But if you are inclined to argue the points, it's harder to do so in kind.