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January 24th, 2004
09:54 am - On Humility in Fanfiction
I’ve always had a particular view of fanfiction – having been involved in it off and on for about 30 years – and recently I’ve come to notice that my view might be rather unique. Misunderstanding of it has lead some to question my reasons and goals for writing it, so I thought I’d present my view here to try and explain.
First of all, let me state that this is just my opinion and I don’t ask or expect anyone to share it. It’s nice if someone does, but I’d rather you had your own thoughts and preferences than share mine. I’m very tolerant of other people’s opinions – if everyone agreed with one another, what would we talk about? – and though I might not agree with yours, I’ll respect it and vigorously defend your right to have it – as long as you grant me the same favor.
I have always looked at the writing of fanfiction as a sort of fun, harmless pastime but something that should be done with utmost humility – because we are, in fact, using (and in some cases abusing) someone else’s creation. I have always been keenly aware that while I am enjoying myself writing this material, I am doing so with the generous tolerance of the original author, and I endeavor to act accordingly. Even if the original author is open to having their works ‘fanficced’, I feel obligated go out of my way to be respectful and humble about my own offerings in the genre. It would feel like the height of vulgarity for me to do any less.
Though the author I have most recently been ‘fanficcing’ (Tolkien) has been dead for many years, I still feel the obligation to view my own works this way because it IS fanfiction… It is devotion and supplication to another’s work – not mine. I have never written it to get approval or accolades – though I do like them – but because I love the material and wanted to read more of it. In Tolkien’s case, he wasn’t around to write more and few other people were writing the kinds of stories I wanted to read. So I started to. I post them because I remember the frustration I felt looking for something that I would like to read and I suppose I hope to provide someone of similar tastes and preferences something they might like too. I do not crow about them (except to very close friends who have enjoyed my work in the past) and post them quietly, only announcing new pieces to select audiences. I write most often in a singular genre and am aware the vast majority of fanfic readers would not be interested in or enjoy my work. This is not false modesty – this is a keen understanding of my position as an author of fanfic and an acknowledgment that what I enjoy isn’t what the majority of fanfic readers do.
I write what I do out of deepest love for the material but I refuse to believe my offerings are any better or worse than some 14 year old girl’s Mary Sue, because they are both fanfiction. Mine may be easier to read and a bit better spelled but they aren’t morally or ethically any better than hers simply because mine was produced with more skill. To me, any fanfic spawned from a deep and abiding love of the material and produced with care and attention to the parent material is a valid expression of that love. I would never presume to judge someone else’s passion for these works any more than I would someone’s piety. The only one who can truly judge it is Tolkien – and since I am not him, I won’t even try. I will simply accept any fanfiction that is presented at face value and celebrate it for what it is – a tribute to Tolkien.
I see fandom as a hobby of equals, made for and by amateurs – an art form of the fans, for the fans where the only thing that sets us apart is our love of the material, not the skill of our pens. It is a celebration of the original author/film maker’s work and, as such, feel an excess of pride over one’s own fics to be out of place. Perhaps I put myself in the position of the original author – and because I would demand deference from someone fanficcing me, I remain humble out of respect. If I chose to write in fanfiction, I chose a genre that demands humility and so I show it. If I wanted to cop an attitude about my fiction, then I would go write something original – at least there I would feel I had a right to conceit…
Ariel
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