fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2732 ]

[ SECRET POST #2732 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2732 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm still unconvinced that one is inherently better than the other. There's plenty of utter crap coming from both, especially as we enter the age of the self-published ebook. There's also plenty of gems...if you know where to look.

I agree in terms of quality.

On the other hand, what about diversity in terms of the voices of the writers?

I have a feeling that published novels are written by a much wider section of society than fanfic. That's what's so valuable about them. I could be wrong, of course.

I'm pretty sure you have the same variety of people writing fanfic as those who get stuff published. There's a surprising amount of overlap. At least, in my experience.

I was thinking less of contemporary writers, and more historically.

Perhaps in 250 years time, fanfic will also have have that diversity of voices. At the moment, it's rather repetitive and skewed, and only reflecting current preoccupations, versus published novels, which have so many more years behind them.

(no subject)

dinogrrl - 2014-06-27 00:01 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 00:31 (UTC) - Expand

Are you kidding me? Do you seriously believe that there is fanfiction as good as Crime and Punishment?

Bad example. Crime and Punishment is a terrible book. Up there with Anna Karenina and Moby Dick.

Well, I enjoyed it. Dostoyevsky is one of my favorite writers.

But feel free to substitute it for any other classic book.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 00:12 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 02:39 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 03:01 (UTC) - Expand

I'd rather substitute it for a classic fanfic

nyxelestia - 2014-06-27 03:51 (UTC) - Expand

Re: I'd rather substitute it for a classic fanfic

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 06:52 (UTC) - Expand

Re: I'd rather substitute it for a classic fanfic

nyxelestia - 2014-06-28 03:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: I'd rather substitute it for a classic fanfic

jazmin_firewing.livejournal.com - 2014-06-27 18:48 (UTC) - Expand

Re: I'd rather substitute it for a classic fanfic

nyxelestia - 2014-06-28 03:26 (UTC) - Expand

Maybe you're not very good at reading complex texts.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 00:10 (UTC) - Expand

Whaaat? CaP was terrific! I had a really hard time keeping all of the names straight, but the plot and the writing were both enjoyable and objectively good IMO.

If you are seriously proposing that 'Anna Karenina' is bad fiction, you need an education, stat.

I haven't read Crime and Punishment, so I can't comment on the merits of it versus fanfic.

Why in god's name would I pick up a book that is a known chore when all I want and need is some light entertainment?

Is this the new subject of panic and pearl-clutching? People who think fanfiction can be just as good as the classics?

*yawns*

Overactive imagination you have there. What pearl clutching?

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-29 02:39 (UTC) - Expand

There's crap everywhere, but tbh, there aren't a lot of good fics that can truly rival good books, at least not that I've seen. I mean, heck, even in well-known fandoms, the fandom classics are usually tripe. I wouldn't compare them to great books that I've read by any means.

I think that what OP is getting at is that fanfiction is a very limited range of reading. The topics often repeat, the genres and styles are specific, and it's a bit insular - meaning, you're probably not broadening your worldview or learning about new cultures or lifestyles or philosophies. It's like a frog in a well, and the popular stuff is usually conformist.

Honestly, you articulated my thoughts on the subject than I could myself.

Yes. This is my feeling as well.

Fanfic has given certain voice to certain sections of literature that were ignored by publishing. For example, it can excel at depicting acts of sex, or niche erotic interests, or the experiences of minority sexual orientations in a way that I've yet to see published fiction come close to (and it's an interest of mine, so I read widely on that subject). But in terms of genre/style/source inspiration it can be very repetitive.

I agree. As much as I love fanfiction, I feel like books have a lot more room to talk about different things.

Though, to be fair, I'm also a fan of nonfiction books, so that is probably coloring my POV some.

I really should read more nonfiction. When it comes to fiction I read anything and everything, but I hardly read any nonfiction.

(no subject)

loracarol - 2014-06-26 23:51 (UTC) - Expand

They serve different purposes, yes. But I don't think that makes one inherently worse than the other.

In my opinion, being insular in your reading IS worse. It's like if somebody only reads urban fantasy, I will probably not be impressed, the same way as if somebody only reads fanfiction. But with other genres, even crime - I mean I find Agatha Christie fascinating from a cultural perspective and the way she portrays people and events, as well as the window into the views of the time. By picking a genre and reading books from different countries, you can still broaden your horizons.

Fanfiction is more limiting. I am not American, but by being fandom and reading fanfics I have found that mostly I am experiencing the American way of thought and of life (more specifically, liberal American). Perhaps some British, and some anime-based Japan. It's the source material that is broadening, usually, not the fanfiction.

Well said. I read both fanfic and published literature and try to read a wide range of subjects/genres and tend to think that people who limit themselves to just one are missing out on a lot.

Definitely.

Published fiction misses out whole areas of human experience, either because the publishers don't think it's sellable, or that it's not prestigious enough to be associated with.

Reading both is the way to go.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-27 00:06 (UTC) - Expand

Why do I have to read books to get a better understanding of cultures, philosophies or lifestyles? In my opinion you can just as easily learn that through articles, talking to people and documentaries, not through the fiction I might be reading.

What type/genre/length of fiction you prefer to read does not dictate what you learn about the world, I would worry more about people who are not curious about things that are different to what they are used to, or not open to learn new things than I am of people who only read fanfiction for entertainment.

I am strictly speaking about fiction here not nonfiction, which I feel is a different discussion, but then agin I might be wrong in that regard.