In my post “An Introduction to Fan Fiction,” I defined fan
fiction, or fanfic, as “fiction that is written by fans of a particular book,
movie, or television series that utilizes characters and settings from that
book, movie, or television series.” However, the term encompasses more than
just fiction. It also includes plays, music, art, and film. Yes, each form is
unique, but they are all fundamentally the same: the creators love whatever
book, movie, or television series they’re dealing with, and what they do is out
of love of the characters and settings.
Of the different forms, written fanfic is probably the most
diverse. You can find stories on sites like FanFiction.net, or you can fully
immerse yourself in an author’s world with something like Hogwarts is Here
(HiH). Then there are the stories that are actually published, since they are
based on characters and settings that are in the public domain and therefore
free to use.
FanFiction.net (FFN) is the
largest fanfic archive on the Internet. It hosts over 2 million pieces of
fanfic, ranging from short-short stories to full-length novels. People from all
over the world write and post fanfic here, as it is free for anyone to use. They
even have a ratings system in place so that readers know what they should
expect before they start reading a story. One of the best parts about the site
is the beta function. This gives all writers access to a beta reader, which is
someone who reads what you write before you publish it and comments on it,
making suggestions to help improve your writing. This is especially beneficial
for people who want to write a story, but aren’t confident enough in their
skills to write their own story. The FFN experience helps them to gain
confidence and experience before creating their own worlds. You can also use a
pen name, so no one has to know who you really are. (For example, my name on
the site is Katybenben.)
One of my favorite FFN stories is A Study in Magic, written by Books of Change. The story is a
crossover between Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes (more specifically, the BBC
show Sherlock). Without giving too
much away, Sherlock and John Watson have adopted Harry after Moriarty killed
the Dursleys. From there, the story pretty much follows the Harry Potter canon
storyline, with some additions from Sherlock
in the way of characters and settings. It was this story that inspired me to
attempt to write my own Harry Potter/Sherlock crossover. Unlike Books of
Change, I haven’t gotten very far into my story yet. She has over 80 chapters
written, and had to create a spinoff of her original story because it was
getting too long.
Hogwarts is Here (HiH) is
another form of fanfic. This is their mission statement: “Hogwarts is Here is a
website created by the fandom. Our goal is to create the magical experience
that we as fans have all been looking for since we finished the last book. It's
Real for Us.” This magical experience involves registering (it’s free!),
getting sorted into your Hogwarts house, and then attending classes (online, of
course). Currently, there are over 20,000 students from all over the world who
attend Hogwarts through HiH. It’s run completely by volunteers, so no one is
looking to make any money from it. They’re just looking to fulfill all Harry
Potter fans dreams of going to Hogwarts and celebrate the world that JK Rowling
created.
The last type of written fanfic is the spinoffs of works in
the public domain. These include things like Georgiana Darcy’s Diary (continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice) and Death Comes to Pemberly (a different
continuation of Pride and Prejudice).
The authors of these works are not legally prosecuted because the original has
fallen into the public domain, meaning that the copyright has expired and is no
longer protected by the copyright law. People can write whatever fanfic they
want about these works and publish it without any legal concern, yet I would
still consider them fan fiction.
While most people only consider written works as fan
fiction, I think the term encompasses more forms. In my opinion, any plays,
music, art, or film that utilizes the characters and settings of another’s
book, movie, or television show falls under the category of fan fiction. While
it might not be fiction in the strict sense of the word, it still deals with the
same type of thing and could be pursued by the same copyright infringement. Fan
fiction comes in all different formats, and it’s a great way for fans to
express their love of something in a unique and creative way.
Examples of fanfic
for each type I’ve identified:
Written:
Plays:
Music:
All of the songs from the above plays, as created by Team Starkid
Art:
All fan-made pictures found on Pinterest (search term Harry
Potter)
Film:
Bamf Girls Club by Comediva
Lego Stop-Motion videos by Brotherhood Workshop
(Harry Potter; Lord of the Rings)
0 comments:
Post a Comment