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Post by juju on Aug 21, 2015 10:22:18 GMT
I'm just listening to a radio programme about this, and I have to say I've always hated the idea of it -it makes me feel quite cross to think about.
I suppose because when I read a book the point is that I don't want control over the characters. I don't want to decide what they'll do next, or who'll they'll end up in a relationship with. The point for me is that I've entered another world and these are people and situations over which I have no control - just like the real world, I guess. For me, that's the point. If I want to control a character, I'll write my own world. The idea that anyone can take someone else's character and make them do whatever they like (even acting completely out of character) feels weird and wrong, IMO.
Take Jane Austen - for me, the very joy of her characters is that they are so beautifully written by Austen herself, and emerged from her imagination. To think that someone else could write about them is a travesty - I know that 'Death Comes to Pemberley' is supposed to be quite well written but that's not the point. If it's not Austen putting words into Elizabeth Bennett's mouth then it's not Elizabeth Bennett.
And yeah, I know all about Rolande Barthes' 'death of the author' theory. Bollocks to that.
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Post by juju on Aug 21, 2015 10:28:08 GMT
Another example would be Game of Thrones. I don't know if GoT fanfic exists (I'm guessing it might) but the whole point of GRR Martin's characters is that they are realistically unpredictable and fallible. Annoyingly so at times. But for better or worse, he has control over what they do - not anyone else. I'd never want to read something in which somebody else decided what Tyrion or Jon Snow or Daenarys might do or say.[/end of rant] ETA: I know fanfic is terribly popular and this is just my personal opinion - I'd be interested to hear what you think if you read it yourself.
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Post by JoeP on Aug 21, 2015 11:35:48 GMT
Most fanfic is appallingly written. So I tend to not bother with it.
If there is some well-written fanfic, I agree with you "bollocks to that".
What do you think of fan art? Where people draw their own renderings of characters? Places like Deviantart seem to be full of it. And mostly not very good. But at least they aren't just fulfilling the fans' wishes and contradicting the authors' control. As much.
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Post by juju on Aug 21, 2015 11:43:45 GMT
I think fan art is fine, in theory. I haven't really seen much, TBH. It's different because when you read a book you naturally get a mental picture of that character and so to draw or paint your interpretation of their appearance is fine - it's just what illustrators do anyway.
Having said that, I guess if someone really takes liberties and completely changes things then that could be annoying.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2015 21:04:27 GMT
I used to read Stargate fanfiction. Much of it was bad, but there was one long story about one of the characters before the beginning of the series, using the information which is provided in the series. And I wrote a story once which was just "filling the gap" - thoughts which a character has in a situation in the series. I have lost interest in the fanfiction, though. And I have always hated the stories which were "out of character" as it was called. There were stories about Colonel O'Neil and Dr. Daniel Jackson being gay and having a relationship. It just didn't fit at all.
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Post by juju on Sept 13, 2015 20:54:10 GMT
That's exactly what I mean - taking liberties with characters. I suppose there's no harm if it's only for your own consumption (although I wouldn't want to for the reasons stated above), but if I read a story in which someone had done that to characters I know, I'd feel really cross.
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Post by Mari on Sept 14, 2015 16:37:39 GMT
I've read some fan fic from different series (by the way the Star Wars series are pretty much all professional fan fic) and I agree there is some pretty horrible stuff out there. However, there are also some gems and diamonds in the rough. I once read a story showing the background of a villain, tying in with the real story only at the end. It was magnificent, tear jerking and though it showed the man had a heart at some point, he still ended the plausible villain. I still have that story in a binder somewhere.
I think almost all books/stories leave room for fan fic. No book fully explains all backgrounds nor do they always explain thought processes. If people feel the need to feel such a gap or want to tie in a story of their own with a published book and have the courage to post it, power to them. If you feel the need to read it, you apparently also noticed a gap that you want filled. Perhaps the fan fic writer doesn't meet your standards, but give them constructive criticism or ignore the story.
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Post by juju on Sept 14, 2015 17:13:07 GMT
Hmmm... To me it feels like a massive presumption. To take someone else's character and decide what their background is - I'd hate it if someone did that to one of my favourite characters. Maybe I'm in the minority, but to me the only person who can do that is the author.
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Post by Mari on Sept 16, 2015 16:07:11 GMT
However, not all authors are as comprehensive as for example Tolkien. Of course you shouldn't change an already established character, but if an author doesn't do it themselves, why not let enthusiasts (who are usually more protective of "the original story" than the author) fill in the gaps?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2015 22:04:24 GMT
Hmmm... To me it feels like a massive presumption. To take someone else's character and decide what their background is - I'd hate it if someone did that to one of my favourite characters. Maybe I'm in the minority, but to me the only person who can do that is the author. I liked the Jack and Sam fanfiction in Stargate SG1 and the series provided more than enough material. If a story was well done, it wasn't "out of character" and fitted quite nicely. Admittedly, there was a lot of rubbish out there. On one big Jack and Sam fanfiction site, there were a lot of pornographic stories as well. Luckily, the information about what the story was about and if it was for "18 and over" was provided at the top of each story, so I could choose to stay away from them. That would have seemed quite wrong since it was nothing that played a role in the series. There really are some very good stories out there which keep the characters the way they are in the original story and which are quite well-written. But lots and lots of bad ones as well.
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