Literature, Class 13: Period 3, Thursday, December 11

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"In the year of Our Lord 1893," Miss Bennet said, "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a story in Strand Magazine. It was the latest in his series featuring an idiosyncratic detective known as Sherlock Holmes, and it was notable for one reason: the story concluded with Mr. Holmes's untimely death. Sir Conan Doyle wished to focus his talents on his other literary works. What he did not anticipate was the vehement public response. Some devotees of the series wore black armbands, to show that they mourned their fallen hero. Others wrote vicious letters, accusing Conan Doyle of cruelty and murder. Eight years passed before Conan Doyle relented. Holmes reappeared, hearty and whole: his death had been but a clever ruse to fool his enemies. Or so he told his dear friend, Dr. Watson.

"This incident is hardly unique. When we, as readers, are given texts, we are asked to invest in the stories they tell us. If we were indifferent to the fate of these characters, unmoved by the twists and turns of the plot, I doubt we would be interested enough to finish the works. Therefore, it is only natural that we begin to feel that we have a claim to them, in some manner. It is easy to understand those supporters' outrage, viewed in that light. They came to care for Mr. Holmes, as a character, only to have the Sir Conan Doyle quite callously take him away.

"Yet the sentiment is telling. The unspoken question seems to be, how dare he? I should imagine he dares very easily: it is his work, after all. He created Mr. Holmes, as well as Dr. Watson and every detail of their domicile on 221b Baker Street. Had he woken one morning with a whim to place Mr. Holmes in a tiara and a bathing costume, then Mr. Holmes would have complied, with nary a complaint. As the author, he dictates the terms of this arrangement, and not his audience.

"But this answer is still vaguely unsatisfying. Once the work has been released, its success depends on its audience. Mr. Holmes may well have danced through a case wearing a bathing costume and holding his tiara'd head high, but many of his loyal readers would not have returned for his next adventure. Their trust would have been broken. For the relationship between author and audience may be surprisingly resilient, at times, but it is also occasionally quite delicate. And when the audience feels that the author does not care about their concerns, that is when fans become particularly agitated.

"Recently, I was introduced to something known as the Internet." She smiled, wryly, at her students. "I have been exploring it slowly, and with great trepidation, I assure you, for I have seen indications that it is not the most ... civil of environments, nor is it particularly concerned with whom it may upset, in its brashness. There is a phenomenon known as 'fanfiction,' which appears to have proliferated in this setting, and I am certain that a number of you are already familiar with it. For those who are not: it is, essentially, storytelling which follows the confines of other worlds and frameworks. One individual wishes to explore the gap that lies between two parts of a story, and writes what he believes occurred in the interim. Another decides to expand upon a particular tale, sharing what she feels happened to the main characters after the curtain rose or the book's last page was turned.

"Many of these stories exist solely to address what the reader-turned-author found to be inadequate or even incorrect in the original text. Certain secondary characters were not given sufficient backstory, or proper motivation; this is rectified in the new work. Or perhaps there are elements which are seen to be a betrayal, such as Holmes's demise. In that case, someone might write a story which retells the drama of Reichenbach Falls, but allows Holmes to make a daring escape. I should add that it seems a particular betrayal, at least in the realm of this 'fanfiction,' appears to be closely tied to what characters are romantically involved, and whether the newly-minted author believes other characters are more suited.

"Nor is that particular affectation limited to modern times. A few weeks ago, we discussed Randolph Park. Many readers, historically, have expressed an interest in changing the ending, in pairing Fern and Peter with the Hawthorne siblings and not one another; some have proceeded to write such a tale. There have been both 'authorized' and 'unauthorized' sequels to Departed with the Flurries, dependent on which ones the estate of the late author chose to approve. One suspects there were financial considerations at play, not just narrative concerns.

"Who has the right to say, in that position? How dare Conan Doyle send Holmes to an early grave? How dare fans of Miss Austen rearrange the marriage plot which serves as Randolph Park's framework? How dare Barry Plodder devotees rewrite the sixth book in the series, in order to bring secondary characters into the spotlight and substitute Barry's love interest for another? How dare any of us? Who is it that owns a text, in the literary sense if not the legal one?"

"Lastly." She smiled at her students, taking a seat at the edge of her desk. "You are all aware, I imagine, that next week is our last class together. I confess, I've no real notion how to test you, or what sort of final I should be writing. Any insights or advice you have would be greatly appreciated."

Comments

Sign In (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

As a bad fanfic version of yourself.

Re: Sign In (LIT-13)

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

Anemone

During the Lecture (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Take notes. Speak briefly with your classmates, should you desire, and should you be discreet.

Re: During the Lecture (LIT-13)

[withoutverona]

Romeo listened, scrawling a few notes (though he was equally focused on picking bits of glitter off his arms). The idea of fans taking control of a text seemed vaguely wrong to him.

Re: During the Lecture (LIT-13)

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka took notes, frowning in thought. Apparently, people were crazy, but he knew that already.

Re: During the Lecture (LIT-13)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was almost troubled by the discussion. It made him think of unfortunate incidents in Oz.

It also made him think of Andrew and Trindle's numerous discussions on the topic when the little girl had been there for a weekend.

Re: During the Lecture (LIT-13)

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad took his usual fifty million pages of notes.

Okay, maybe not that many, but try telling his hand that.

Discussion #1: Ownership (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Who does own the text? If an author asks his or her fans not to create fanworks (such as art or fiction), should those wishes be respected? Does the author have the final word on what is or is not acceptable? Can an author write his or her character incorrectly, or is the character, by definition, whatever the author dictates that he or she be?

Re: Discussion #1: Ownership (LIT-13)

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Well, I mean, that character wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the author, so I'd think they'd get to chose what they do and don't want to allow," Anemone said slowly. "I think they can still get it wrong, if they write that character in a way that's inconsistent with what's already been portrayed, but that's just sloppy writing."

Re: Discussion #1: Ownership (LIT-13)

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Well..." Sokka tried to wrap his mind around the question. "It really belongs to the author, no matter what, right? So the author can write whatever they want, and that's what the character is. If the author screws up, or goes crazy, or something, the fans can accept that or not, but it doesn't really change things for the author... But they can still try to persuade the author to change things back?" He scratched his head. "At the same time, if they want to fanfiction, or to re-write a book, or whatever... that's their right? As long as they're not making money off of it, who cares?"

Re: Discussion #1: Ownership (LIT-13)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"The text and the story aren't really the same thing," he said thoughtfully.

"I would think that the text, the words were the author's and the author's alone. But the story was never theirs to begin with."

Discussion #2: Investment and Involvement (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Have you ever been frustrated by an event in a fictional story? So much so that you wished to rewrite it? Have you ever mourned the death of a fictional character? Why do you feel we connect so strongly with scenarios which we know to be fictitious? Why is there a special emphasis on which characters choose to fall in love with one another?

Re: Discussion #2: Investment and Involvement (LIT-13)

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Without admitting anything," Sokka answered, "I'd like to submit that anyone who's never cried when a character died just hasn't seen the right movie."

Re: Discussion #2: Investment and Involvement (LIT-13)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"...I don't think I read enough to answer that."

Discussion #3: Fanfiction (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Have you encountered fan-created works, such as fanfiction or fanart? (If you have not, Miss Bennet asks that you exercise caution whilst searching for it. For your own safety and well-being.) What is your opinion of them? Is it presumptuous to write works with another's characters? Can a fan-created work ever surpass the original? Do these answers vary if the works are authorized by the original author, or the author's estate, or the company which holds the rights to the original works?

Re: Discussion #3: Fanfiction (LIT-13)

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Well... If the author or their duly-appointed representative approves a story, you kind of have to accept it as official, whether or not it sucks," Sokka decided.

Re: Discussion #3: Fanfiction (LIT-13)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"...don't think you can, as when you take them in hand, they become your own. Even if that's not, er, legally."

Speak to the TAs (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Ask if they've written any Barry Plodder smut. You know they have.

Re: Speak to the TAs (LIT-13)

[thankgoditsme.livejournal.com]

Friday was here, idly wondering if anyone had ever written fan fiction about any fictional characters he'd met.

Re: Speak to the TAs (LIT-13)

[wanna-be-lucas.livejournal.com]

Lucas was more likely to write obnoxious vignettes on the inner thoughts of Barry during pivotal naval-gazing moments than smut. He just wasn't interesting enough to write porn despite his interest in reading it.

Speak to Miss Bennet (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Share your input for next week's final, should you have any.

OOC (LIT-13)

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

I had a Feminist Literary Criticism class in college, and a classmate argued that writing fanfiction -- since it deconstructed the presented story and retold it in ways the fan found to be more fitting -- was essentially a feminist act (in the lit crit sense, at least) and an empowering one, at that.

Which kinda nudged me towards the idea of this class.

Thank you to tyler_back for handwavily introducing Elizabeth to the wonders of the Internet. Though I fear she may be less grateful once she figures out what "mpreg" means.

Re: OOC (LIT-13)

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

Though I fear she may be less grateful once she figures out what "mpreg" means.

Hahahahaha I just tried to picture her face hahahaha.

Re: OOC (LIT-13)

[carsexual]

writing fanfiction -- since it deconstructed the presented story and retold it in ways the fan found to be more fitting -- was essentially a feminist act (in the lit crit sense, at least) and an empowering one, at that.

I think I have a book about that. (There was a situation where I was writing a paper on fandom and all the books were missing from the library so I went, "FINE I'LL ORDER THEM." And now I own like twelve books on fan studies. The end.)

I think it's an interesting premise, but most fanfic writers aren't really trying to be feminist, they're trying to tell a story or have fun or get off. Also it disregards the dudes who write fanfic. I know they're a minority, but they're out there.

Poor Elizabeth.

Re: OOC (LIT-13)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

I would sort of agree with her except without limiting it to feminism. But that's me.

Cool class idea.