Fanfiction

[anogete]

I stumbled across this article while wasting time at work. There was a bit of legal discussion in there regarding fanfiction that I found really interesting.

Friction over Fanfiction

"Henry Jenkins, author of Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, argues that the impulse to write fan fiction is no different from the creative impulse driving any other narrative genre. It is part of a fundamental human need to tell stories, part of a “shared cultural tradition” dating from Homer onward. According to Jenkins, the works on which fan fiction is based serve for fan communities the same purpose as myths and folklore served in earlier times, as a source of shared references having instant recognition in that community and a source of raw material for fans’ own creative works. Contemporary web culture is, he says, the traditional folk process working at lightning speed on a global scale."

Comments

[marasmine.livejournal.com]

Interesting article. Be good if they could come up with something concrete.

[bleedtoblue.livejournal.com]

Depends on what concrete thing they come up with! I'd hate to be banned for having fun.

[theredzebra1.livejournal.com]

I love the quote, as well as the idea that fanfiction is a way of owning our stories and our myths. The idea of intellectual property baffles me. How can someone own an idea?

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

Very interesting article. It seems nobody wants to take a definite legal stance on fanfic, which is fine with me as long at it keeps the good stuff around :D

I like the idea you quoted very much. I find it fascinating that we share stories and can relate to each other via the fanfic references especially in the hp fandom which seems to include people from many corners of the world.

Which reminds me that I'll finally have something to read for you at the end of the week if you like.