Shane wrote:
Bit of a difference between Henry James and Joe Fanwriter.
I've not yet read fanfiction that's as good in my opinion as the authors I consider great in literature (though I'm hoping!).
But I've certainly read quite a lot (and published some in TTBA) that's way better than the average novels published in the past 5 years or so. Just because it's fanfiction doesn't automatically make it substandard (think of Wide Sargasso Sea). Just because it's amateur doesn't mean it's substandard (many 'great' authors don't/didn't make a living out of writing).
The answer to bad fanfiction (and there's certainly some of that around) is to write or encourage others to write better fanfiction, not to assume that the whole genre isn't worth reading and, moreover, to proselytise your rather negative view.
Tavia http://www.viragene.com/
Tavia Chalcraft wrote:
Shane wrote:
Bit of a difference between Henry James and Joe Fanwriter.
I've not yet read fanfiction that's as good in my opinion as the authors I consider great in literature (though I'm hoping!).
I personlly am convinced Bryn Lantry's "Puppeteer" is a work of literary genius. But then, I admit to having strange tastes. I mean, I rented _The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle_ the other night and laughed all the way through... :)
But, personally, I do think the distinction between "literature" and, well, whatever word you want to use for "stuff that isn't literature" is a totally artificial one. There's a difference between Henry James and Joe Fanwriter? Sure. Henry James is more known and respected in literary circles. They almost certainly have rather different writing styles. There's a very good chance that James' work is of higher quality than Fanwriters' stuff (although I haven't read anything by either individual and couldn't make a personal judgement). But, you know, it's all the same medium. It's words on paper. You can compare them; it's not apples and oranges. So, IMHO, to say "why is it sadistic when a fanwriter makes Avon suffer for dramatic purposes and not when Shakespeare makes Hamlet suffer?" (which I think was the original question here) is a valid point, and to say "fanfic ain't Shakespeare," while true, doesn't make it *in*valid.