Links Roundup for 14 September 2011

[otw_staff]

Here's a roundup of stories about fannish practices that might be of interest to fans:

• Fantasy author and Time magazine contributor Lev Grossman recently gave another interview involving fan fiction in which he suggested that published writers often show too much deference to the authors of texts they enjoy, unlike many fanfic writers. "[A] lot of [fan fiction] is really aggressive towards the source text. One tends to think of it as written by total fanboys and fangirls as a kind of worshipful act, but a lot of times you'll read these stories and it'll be like 'What if Star Trek had an openly gay character on the bridge?' And of course the point is that they don't, and they wouldn't, because they don't have the balls, or they are beholden to their advertisers, or whatever." He also explains that his novels are essentially a Brideshead Revisited AU. ""I figured I could get away with a lot," he laughed, "because the theft would be untraceable—because I was taking it across genre lines.""


• Grossman never addresses real person fic however, a type of fanfic that crosses many genre lines in AUs, turning real-life people into characters in either an original setting or in a crossover with another fandom. In RPS, many fans also imagine openly gay characters in a world where no one is beholden to advertisers or employers. As this article in SexIs magazine points out, however, that practice remains controversial even among fans. It concludes "Whether celebs are comfortable with RPS or not, it’s a standard feature of a certain level of fame, and there is no “cure.”... Sexuality, fantasy, celebrity, and community are powerful drives that cannot be willed away. Regardless of how anyone may feel about RPS, there’s no question that it’s here to stay."

If you're part of RP fandoms or an AU reader, why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog. Find related news by viewing our tag cloud.

Links Roundup for 14 September 2011

[otw-staff.livejournal.com]

Here's a roundup of stories about fannish practices that might be of interest to fans:

• Fantasy author and Time magazine contributor Lev Grossman recently gave another interview involving fan fiction in which he suggested that published writers often show too much deference to the authors of texts they enjoy, unlike many fanfic writers. "[A] lot of [fan fiction] is really aggressive towards the source text. One tends to think of it as written by total fanboys and fangirls as a kind of worshipful act, but a lot of times you'll read these stories and it'll be like 'What if Star Trek had an openly gay character on the bridge?' And of course the point is that they don't, and they wouldn't, because they don't have the balls, or they are beholden to their advertisers, or whatever." He also explains that his novels are essentially a Brideshead Revisited AU. ""I figured I could get away with a lot," he laughed, "because the theft would be untraceable—because I was taking it across genre lines.""


• Grossman never addresses real person fic however, a type of fanfic that crosses many genre lines in AUs, turning real-life people into characters in either an original setting or in a crossover with another fandom. In RPS, many fans also imagine openly gay characters in a world where no one is beholden to advertisers or employers. As this article in SexIs magazine points out, however, that practice remains controversial even among fans. It concludes "Whether celebs are comfortable with RPS or not, it’s a standard feature of a certain level of fame, and there is no “cure.”... Sexuality, fantasy, celebrity, and community are powerful drives that cannot be willed away. Regardless of how anyone may feel about RPS, there’s no question that it’s here to stay."

If you're part of RP fandoms or an AU reader, why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog. Find related news by viewing our tag cloud.