Sleepy and incoherent
Apr. 27th, 2006 03:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swatkatToday's ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
metafandom is full of discussions on March- whether or not it is fanfic, and why; whether it is somehow 'better' than what we understand as fanfic; what makes it 'better', if we assume it to be so, etc etc. My first instinct, of course, is to call March fanfic. And while I shouldn't comment on something I haven't actually read, I don't think it's even particularly interesting fanfic. Because in re-telling Mr. March's story, Brooke is telling us the story of an ordinary, sensitive man in times of war (who also happens to be Mr. March, the father of Jo March) – and how many times have we heard that story again? Little Women OTOH is about those left behind, about the *women* left behind, and that, to me, is a more interesting story than the same old Man vs. War story.
This is not to say I'm *against* re-telling stories. No, of course not. Would I be in fandom if I were? It's just that unless Brooke has managed to give us some new and interesting perspective on the old Man vs. War story, or on the Little Women universe (which I love dearly. someday I shall write a post on how this book changed my life. no, really – it did.) in her fic, I don't really care much about it.
*
And because I'm slightly (*cough*) obsessed with Wicked these days, I naturally started thinking whether you could call Wicked fanfiction. And I was quite astonished by my own answer to the question – I actually hesitated to call it fanfic, though it very clearly is a derivative work (a brilliant AU, if you like). Or 'just' fanfic. Which has a horribly derogatory ring to it, and that is so not what I meant to say. I think what I wanted to say is that fanfic – or to be more specific, shipfic, with its hyperfocus on romance and sex - often does not consider any other issue than romance (not that there's anything wrong with it), which maybe alright for the *fans* of that particular universe, but probably not so for everyone else. Does that at all make sense? *is hopelessly muddled*
P.S - GIP. Okay, so this is not a scene from the book. But Glinda sobbing over Elphaba's hat? There is no bad there. *sigh*
metafandom is full of discussions on March- whether or not it is fanfic, and why; whether it is somehow 'better' than what we understand as fanfic; what makes it 'better', if we assume it to be so, etc etc. My first instinct, of course, is to call March fanfic. And while I shouldn't comment on something I haven't actually read, I don't think it's even particularly interesting fanfic. Because in re-telling Mr. March's story, Brooke is telling us the story of an ordinary, sensitive man in times of war (who also happens to be Mr. March, the father of Jo March) – and how many times have we heard that story again? Little Women OTOH is about those left behind, about the *women* left behind, and that, to me, is a more interesting story than the same old Man vs. War story. This is not to say I'm *against* re-telling stories. No, of course not. Would I be in fandom if I were? It's just that unless Brooke has managed to give us some new and interesting perspective on the old Man vs. War story, or on the Little Women universe (which I love dearly. someday I shall write a post on how this book changed my life. no, really – it did.) in her fic, I don't really care much about it.
*
And because I'm slightly (*cough*) obsessed with Wicked these days, I naturally started thinking whether you could call Wicked fanfiction. And I was quite astonished by my own answer to the question – I actually hesitated to call it fanfic, though it very clearly is a derivative work (a brilliant AU, if you like). Or 'just' fanfic. Which has a horribly derogatory ring to it, and that is so not what I meant to say. I think what I wanted to say is that fanfic – or to be more specific, shipfic, with its hyperfocus on romance and sex - often does not consider any other issue than romance (not that there's anything wrong with it), which maybe alright for the *fans* of that particular universe, but probably not so for everyone else. Does that at all make sense? *is hopelessly muddled*
P.S - GIP. Okay, so this is not a scene from the book. But Glinda sobbing over Elphaba's hat? There is no bad there. *sigh*
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Re: Part II
Date: 2006-04-29 01:08 pm (UTC)I have a number of UC het ships - it's the same thing.
not no-text
Well, sometimes there *is* no text. Like crossovers that work. Or a story like The Way, Way Back by
Please understand I'm not suggesting there is! I like shipfic, I really do! I just find the *sameness* in flavor throughout fanfic tedious at times. Not to mention that it makes me wonder *why* there is this *particular* sameness, and what it says about gender, and why that makes me uncomfortable.
Oh, I know what you mean! I feel exactly the same way about the endless porn in HP fandom. You're bothered about reinforcing the gender stereotype, that boys love guns and girls love love stories and give them that and they'll be happy. I wonder - maybe the stereotype exists because there is a kernel of truth to it? For a lot of girls, at least? And what needs to be examined is - how much of it is a negative thing?
Re: Part II
Date: 2006-04-29 05:24 pm (UTC)You're bothered about reinforcing the gender stereotype, that boys love guns and girls love love stories and give them that and they'll be happy.
Not just stories, but luuuurrrrrrve stories. And yes, with all of fandom's habit of talking about how empowering fanfic is for women, I have to wonder: is it? Is this something that truly challenges traditional hierarchies, as some fen claim, or are we sitting in the space that's already been "allowed" for us and gorging on comfort food?
I don't exempt myself from the question, of course.
Re: Part II
Date: 2006-04-30 06:57 am (UTC)Is this something that truly challenges traditional hierarchies, as some fen claim, or are we sitting in the space that's already been "allowed" for us and gorging on comfort food?
See, the stereotype - women care only for love stories, has so far been considered a negative thing. I'm wondering - have we somehow managed to reclaim and redefine that space, show that it doesn't have to be a negative thing, or are your fears true? I do believe that we've redefined the concept of erotica and women. Has something like that happened for romance as well?
Re: Part II
Date: 2006-04-30 05:59 pm (UTC)I wouldn't say that "caring for love stories" is a negative thing in itself. But when we, collectively, hardly ever step outside that, I do worry that it's a negative thing.