Fan fiction

Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. Works of fan fiction are rarely commissioned or authorized by the original work's owner, creator, or publisher; also, they are almost never professionally published. Fan fiction, therefore, is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe.^[1] Most fan fiction writers assume that their work is read primarily by other fans, and therefore tend to presume that their readers have knowledge of the canon universe (created by a professional writer) in which their works are based.

History

Before about 1965, the term "fan fiction" was used in science fiction fandom to designate original, though amateur, works of science fiction published in science fiction fanzines, as differentiated from fiction that was professionally published by professional writers; or fiction about fans and fandom;^[2] but this usage is now obsolete. Modern definitions of the term exclude such entirely original writing from the category. Today, "fan fiction" writers are those who use characters and situations already created by other writers in order to develop their personal and preferred views of the story.^[3]

Historical predecessors

Fan fiction as it is now understood began at least as early as the 17th century, with unauthorized published sequels to such works as Don Quixote.^[4][5] Older precursors include the Epic Cycle supplementing the works of Homer and the various re-tellings of King Arthur's tale which spread around Europe from the 8th century AD onward.^{[citation needed]} (For example, there were no fewer than four continuations by other hands of Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval.)

Another precursor is in medieval Arabic fiction, where story cycles were formed as different storytellers added sequels to an original story, such as story cycles revolving around Harun al-Rashid or Sinbad the Sailor. Some tales were also parodied by other storytellers. Many of these story cycles and parodies were incorporated into the Arabian Nights. For example, "Wardan the Butcher's Adventure With the Lady and the Bear" is parodied by "The King's Daughter and the Ape", "Harun al-Rashid and the Two Slave-Girls" is parodied by "Harun al-Rashid and the Three Slave-Girls", and "The Angel of Death With the Proud King and the Devout Man" is parodied by "The Angel of Death and the Rich King". Sometimes even parodies were parodied, such as "The Angel of Death and the King of the Children of Israel" being a parody of "The Angel of Death and the Rich King".^[6] When the Arabian Nights was translated into French at the beginning of the 18th century, many imitations of it were written in France.^[7]

The turn of the 20th century saw parodies and revisions of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland by authors including Frances Hodgson Burnett and E. Nesbit. In addition, there were several fan-authored versions of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.

In the 1920s and 1930s, fans of Jane Austen wrote stories based on her characters and published them in fanzines. In 1945, C. S. Lewis adopted certain elements from J. R. R. Tolkien's then largely unpublished legendarium (mostly Númenor, there spelt Numinor) and incorporated these into the last novel, That Hideous Strength, of his Space Trilogy. (Given that Lewis and Tolkien were personal friends, this could be seen more as an "homage").

Modern phenomenon

The magazine, Spockanalia, is the first known contemporary form of any type of fan-written stories.

However, the modern phenomenon of fan fiction as an expression of fandom and fan interaction was popularized and defined via the Star Trek fandom and fanzines published in the 1960s. The first Star Trek fanzine, Spockanalia, was published in 1967 and contained some fan fiction.^[8] In 1970, Mary Ellen Curtin, a Princeton University graduate, researched the authors of various Star Trek fanfics, and her results showed an outstanding 83% female as opposed to 17% male writers; in 1973, fan writers were 90% female.^[9]

Fan fiction has become more popular and widespread since the advent of the World Wide Web.^[10] In addition to traditional zines and conventions, Usenet group electronic mailing lists were established for fan fiction as well as fan discussion. Online, searchable fan fiction archives were also established. The online archives were initially non-commercial hand-tended and fandom- or topic-specific. These archives were followed by non-commercial automated databases. In 1998, the not-for-profit site FanFiction.Net came online, which allowed anybody to upload content in any fandom.^{[citation needed]} The ability to self-publish fan fiction at an easily-accessible common archive that did not require insider-knowledge to join, and the ability to review the stories directly on the site, became popular quite quickly. FanFiction.net now hosts millions of stories in dozens of languages, and is widely considered the largest and most popular fan fiction archive online.^[10]

LiveJournal (founded in 1999) and other blogging services played a large part in the move away from mailing lists (both electronic and amateur press associations) to blogs as a means for fan communication and the sharing of fan fiction. Although much fan fiction today is published to archives, it would be impossible to tell whether more or less fan fiction today is posted directly to blogging services than to fan-fiction-specific archives.

Japanese dōjinshi

A similar trend in Japan also began appearing around the 1960s and 1970s, where independently published manga and novels, known as dōjinshi, are frequently published by dōjin circles; many of these dōjinshi are based on existing manga, anime, and video game franchises. Manga authors like Shotaro Ishinomori and Fujiko Fujio formed dōjin groups such as Fujio's New Manga Party (新漫画党, Shin Manga-to^?). At this time dōjin groups were used by artists to make a professional debut. This changed in the coming decades with dōjin groups forming as school clubs and the like. This culminated in 1975 with the Comiket in Tokyo.

Varieties and subgenres

Fanfiction is written in as many ways as any other genre of literature. Modern fan fiction is found in a variety of subgenres, with writers specializing in each.

Fanzines have been published, and websites can be found, specializing: by star; by TV show, book(s), or film(s); by genre of the underlying material (such as mystery/crime, western, etc.); by sexual content ("gen", slash, etc.); or by type of story: crossover, "AU" (an alternative universe, or alternate history, within the context of a particular fandom), or romance (for the "shippers"). In some cases, these will be combined, generating specialized zines or websites dedicated solely and specifically to, e.g., crossovers involving the Buffyverse; lesbian erotica about Xena; etc. Most fan fiction falls into the short story range, but works from novel-length to very short are also commonly seen.

For common terminology relating to fan fiction, including some specialized subgenre terms, see the sub-article Fan fiction terminology.

Genres

In Alternate universe (often abbreviated as AU) stories, the author deliberately alters the original setting of the story, thereby creating an entirely new world. This happens when a story transplants familiar characters into situations totally different from canon, as presented by the source author.^[11] The purpose of creating alternate universes are to answer potential "what-if" questions. These can be created by fabricating a crossover, an alternate timeline, or altering the nature of the setting or characters, among other methods.

A crackfic is a story that is written in a nonsensical, stream-of-consciousness style, as if the author were under the influence of cocaine (crack) or another similar drug.^{[citation needed]} While few stories are actually written under the influence of illegal drugs, a related, more common story is the "sugarfic", where the author is affected by a "sugar rush" and is writing to blow off steam.^{[citation needed]}

"Mary Sue," sometimes shortened simply to "Sue," is a pejorative term used to describe a fictional character who plays a major role in the plot and is particularly characterized by overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, or having too many, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfillment fantasies for their authors or readers. "Mary Sues" can be either male or female, but male characters are often dubbed "Marty Stu", "Gary Stu", or similar names.^[12] While the label "Mary Sue" itself originates from a parody of this type of character, most characters labeled "Mary Sues" by readers are not intended by authors as parodies; few authors set out to write "Mary Sue" fiction.

Format Variants

A drabble is traditionally a vignette exactly 100 words in length. However, when a story is referred to as a drabble, it often is a short scene or idea that does not tell an entire story, or a story at all. It is simply a reflections of a moment in time, somewhat similar to a character sketch.^[11]

On FanFiction.Net, authors may refer to oneshots or twoshots. By this term, the author signals the audience that the story is only intended to be one or two chapters long, respectively, in an environment that has many works-in-progress.^[13] A different meaning of "one-shot" is often used by authors who write series of stories, generally in their own alternate universe of a given fandom. Often an author will write several disjoint series, but additionally, single stories (of any length, but generally comparatively shorter) which are standalone, not tying into any of the writer's other continuity; these are called one-shots, as the author doesn't plan to extend or revisit them.

Another variant of fan fiction is known as a songfic, where authors take the lyrics of a song and, with the song as inspiration, construct a piece of writing around the lyrics. Usually this is done by quoting lines of the lyrics, while writing original pieces relating to the nearby lyrics.^[11] Songfic often comes in for some disdain, particularly when the song is used literally in the context of the story.

Poem fics are a less popular type of fan fiction, and can include a variety of fanfics, including poems that describes a character(s), poems that tell a story, poems about how a character(s) felt in a certain situation, etc.

Story creation in the online era

Fanfiction is often posted serialized as a "work in progress" or WIP, with new chapters published in sequence, sometimes as soon as they are finished. Chapters may take anything from a day to several months to be updated and often remind readers of their place in the story with each new installment. Most archives allow authors to upload individual chapters sequentially under a single title with a main link to the first chapter, and each chapter easily linked to via a drop down menu.

It is often considered wise in fan fiction circles to acquire the aid of a "beta reader," sometimes shortened to "beta," whose responsibilities are roughly those of a professional editor to a commercial author—with the exception that the "beta" is most commonly a volunteer who works without pay and on a casual basis and communicates through E-mail or private message systems.^[14] Writers are discouraged in some circles from posting fan fiction that has not at least been checked for grammatical, spelling, consistency and plot errors by a beta reader.^[15] In late February 2008, FanFiction.net set up an area of their site that contains a list of authors willing to "beta" other authors' "fic."^[14]

Interactivity in the online era

Unlike traditional print publication, the internet offers the option of giving and receiving rapid feedback.^[16] or "reviews". Reviews can be given by both anonymous and registered users of most sites, and sites are often programmed to notify the author of new feedback, making them a common way for readers and authors online to communicate directly.^[17] This system is intended for a type of bond between the reader and the writer, as well as helping the author improve his or her writing skills through constructive criticism, enabling him or her to produce a better work next time.^[18] Occasionally unmoderated review systems are abused to send flames, spam or trolling messages. As a result, the author of the story can either disable or enable anonymous reviews, depending on his preference. Internet fanfiction, particularly of large fandoms like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, gives young writers a wider audience for their literary efforts than ever before, resulting in improved literacy.^[19]

Recently fan fiction has seen greater use of the forum or LiveJournal blog format.^[20] Built around message board systems, stories are posted on threads with feedback interlaced and immediate. This style of fan fiction is more interactive but also can be a distraction since the stories and comments are between each other. These communication methods make fan fiction sites and blogs useful affinity spaces as writers are able to take readers' feedback and improve their skills and abilities as writers. This informal learning is a side benefit for many fan fiction authors, some of whom eventually attempt or go on to writing professionally.

Legality

Fan fiction is a derivative work under United States copyright law.^[21]

Some argue that fan fiction does not fall under fair use.^[22]. The 2009 ruling by United States District Court judge Deborah A. Batts, permanently prohibiting publication in the United States of a book by a Swedish writer whose protagonist is a 76-year-old version of Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in the Rye, may be seen as upholding this position regarding publishing fanfic, as the judge stated, "To the extent Defendants contend that 60 Years and the character of Mr. C direct parodic comment or criticism at Catcher or Holden Caulfield, as opposed to Salinger himself, the Court finds such contentions to be post-hoc rationalizations employed through vague generalizations about the alleged naivety of the original, rather than reasonably perceivable parody."^[23]

Others such as the Organization for Transformative Works uphold the legality of non-profit fan fiction under the fair use doctrine, as it is a creative, transformative process.^[24]

In 1981 Lucasfilms Ltd. sent out a letter to several fanzine publishers asserting Lucasfilm's copyright to all Star Wars characters and insisting that no fanzine publish pornography.^{[citation needed]} The letter also alluded to possible legal action that could be taken against fanzines that did not comply. Later that year, the director and legal counsel of the Official Star Wars Fan Club sent fanzine publishers a set of official guidelines. Lucasfilms supported fan publications contingent on their upholding these guidelines.^{[citation needed]}

In recent years, several prominent authors have given their blessings to fanfiction, notably J.K. Rowling. Rowling said she was "flattered" that people wanted to write their own stories based on her characters.^[25] Similarly, Stephenie Meyer has put links on her website to fanfiction sites about her characters from the Twilight series.^[26]

However, Anne Rice has consistently and aggressively prevented fan fiction based on any of her characters (mostly those from her famous Interview with the Vampire and its sequels in The Vampire Chronicles). She, along with Anne McCaffrey and Raymond Feist, have asked to have any fiction related to their series removed from FanFiction.Net.^[25]

Most authors, however, seem to turn a 'blind eye' towards fan fiction - not actively approving it, but not discouraging it, either.^{[citation needed]} In some cases this tolerance may be due to the fact that, due to the internet, preventing fan fiction from being published would be an expensive and almost impossible task.^{[not specific enough to verify]}

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fan fiction

• Collaborative fiction
• Glossary of fan fiction terms
• Canon (fiction)
• Legal issues with fan fiction
• FanFiction.net
• Fanon (fiction)
• Media fandom
• Dōjin
• Dōjinshi

References

Notes

Further reading

• Hellekson, Karen, and Kristina Busse. Fan fiction and fan communities in the age of the Internet: new essays. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2006. ISBN 0786426403.
• Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (Studies in Culture and Communication). New York: Routledge, 1992. ISBN 0415905710.
• Lawrence, K. F. (2007) The Web of Community Trust - Amateur Fiction Online: A Case Study in Community Focused Design for the Semantic Web. PhD thesis, University of Southampton. (URL retrieved on 20 August, 2008)
• Pugh, Sheenagh. The Democratic Genre: Fan Fiction in a Literary Context. Bridgend, Wales: Seren, 2005. ISBN 1854113992.
• Karen Joy Fowler. Wit's End. Puntam, 2008. A novel about a mystery writer who constantly battles fan fiction about her famous detective.
• Dana L. Bode. "And now, a word from the amateurs". Transformative Works and Cultures 1 (2008).

External links

• Fanfiction.net the largest fan fiction gallery on the internet
• Chilling Effects about copyright issues of fan fiction