Fandom

[poliphilo]

Fandom- I don't get it.

Why would you want to mess with someone else's characters when you can create your own?

Does J.K. Rowling take pleasure in badly written stories about her characters having sex?  I doubt it.  Why- If you admire and enjoy her work - would you want to disrespect her so? 

Isn't "fan" a bit of a misnomer?

But lets move from the general to the specific. An artist just got banned by LJ because of an image she posted of Harry and Snape.

Only the banning seems ineffective because she's bounced back and the image is viewable. (I'm not giving links. I don't want to give her any more publicity than she's getting already).

I clicked. I was expecting an image of them kissing. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

The characters were clearly modelled on Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Rickman. Isn't this defamation of character or libel of something?

Even more to the point:  British comedian Chris Langham is about to go to prison for downloading images which (I assume ) are comparable to this. 

So- forget morality- LJ needs to guard itself against prosecution.

But I don't want to forget morality. You take characters from a beloved children's book and you produce an image of them that any paedophile would be proud to own (you can quibble over whether Harry looks underage or not if you want to be legalistic and miss the point) and  I can't think of any grounds on which I'd be prepared  to defend you.

A lot of fans are up in arms and banging on about censorship.  I just watched a video of a girl give a little self-righteous speech then attempt to burn her LJ shirt with a blow torch .  Fine. Off you trot to some less scrupulous site and good luck to you!  As it happens, I'm perfectly happy to see you go.

Comments

Trying for objectivity

[goddlefrood.livejournal.com]

First let me thank you for this post. It's rare that I get involved at all in trifles regarding fiction, but in this instance your comments merit a response.

My antecedents:

(i) I am a qualified legal practitioner who practices as both a barrister and solicitor in Fiji. I'm English by preference and will return withing the year after over a decade.

(ii) I was a Harry Potter fan, if such is an apt description of someone who enjoyed the books up until the final installment. I participated to a fairly small degree in the fandom, mostly writing speculations on what could happen and analyses of what had happened.

(iii) In terms of fanfiction and fanart surrounding the Harry Potter series I am very much with you, it is not my thing at all and I have only ever read part of one fanfiction. This applies almost equally to any other form of fanfiction.

Enough with the preliminaries. There is something that perhaps you might appreciate, having already been given the example of The Wide Sargasso Sea as an instance of fanfiction. Although I disagree with that assessment of that book I would also state that Jean Rhys wrote many other stories that were not fanfiction in any way shape or form. Another example of a good writer penning fanficition is Michael Dibdin with The Last Sherlock Holmes Story. There are, as you are no doubt aware, many post Doyle Holmes' books, some of which are of merit. The one I mention is excellent, but then, as with Jean Rhys, Mr. Dibdin wrote many other books and was justly well known for them.

The thing about the Harry Potter fandom is that there are many writers who write fanfiction who do not have any other material and a lot of what they write is tripe, naming no names. There are, so I'm reliably informed, many good and worthy fanfiction writers around too. There is a level of addiction, for want of a better word, that comes close to Trekkies, LotR devotees and other equally vehemement fandoms.

On then to the pictures. I haven't actually seen them, however I have seen descriptions of them. They sound quite unlike what I would normally seek out in the way of art. Whether they are illegal in any jurisdiction, and age of consent and majority varies greatly from as low as 7 to 21, is beside the real point. I would suspect that Livejournal has a legal team or at least a legal adviser. As its Terms of Services quite clearly preclude the publication of art such as that under discussion then I have little doubt that the owners acted on legal advice interpreting those terms.

Furthermore I severely doubt that anyone out there would want to argue that a picture of two people engaged in other than heterosexual activity, where one of such people depicted could be arguably under 18, as seems to be the required age for legality of nude publication of any kind per US statute, is acceptable for publication at Livejournal or any other such site. Let's just say it's a strict liability thing and leave it there on that point.

The rather longer way of saying, I agree, good riddance.

Re: Trying for objectivity

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've never really had anything to do with Fandom before. It's been an interesting experience....

Re: Trying for objectivity

[goddlefrood.livejournal.com]

This from the man whom I note composed a poem that could be described as an homage to Star Trek.

Personally I keep away from what might be described as the more extreme forms of fandom. The level of obsession is way beyond my addiction levels. I have nicotine and that's it, other things I'm less enthusiastic about.

All the best

Re: Trying for objectivity

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I was never a member of any Star Trek community- and that's what Fandom seems to be about- community.

About living in a shared world of the imagination- not unlike belonging to a church or a cult.

Interesting....

Re: Trying for objectivity

[goddlefrood.livejournal.com]

Oh, agreed, the communities do in some ways define the fandom. I moderate two groups, one here at Livejournal and another elsewhere, having apparently been deemed sane enough to be objective about things.

The analogy to church or cult is intriguing, you have led a far more illuminating theological existence than I. I've been a borderline atheist without interest in getting involved in very much at all in the way of religion, organised or otherwise. I don't even bother too much with the various legal fraternities to which I belong.

I think a lot of the fandom for Harry Potter comes down to the simple fact that during the course of the development of the series the Internet itself has developed to new and higher levels. It's the first time such a phenomenon has happened in the age of the net.

My father, who's a little older than yourself, mentioned that when the final book in the LotR series came out there was a similar level of interest and a great deal of hype. Had the net been around then we could almost certainly have looked forward to some twisted visions of Middle Earth, not that there aren't some out there now.

That's more than enough for now, I'm supposed to be working and I'm confident you'll be abed at the moment.

I noted on your user page you encourage befriending. If you feel up to it do add me on, I shall do so in return. In the not too far future I'll be just down the road from you.

There'll be nary a peep about HP fandom on my blog in future, mostly I've ranted against the politics of Fiji, but often get onto other matters.

Hadn't been to Llandudno for about 30 years myself, your photos brought back some happy memories.

Re: Trying for objectivity

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't remember there being a huge fuss about the Return of the King. But, like you say, there wasn't an internet in those days. I had a schoolmaster who read us the first two books c.1960 and it was like he was sharing this wonderful secret with us. I think the Tolkien fandom built slowly- and it wasn't until the hippies came along that it really took off. I may be wrong, but I don't think there's ever been a publishing phenomenon on the scale of Harry Potter.

I see you come from Cheshire. Whereabouts exactly? I know parts of Cheshire quite well.

And, yes, I'll certainly friend you.

Re: Trying for objectivity

[goddlefrood.livejournal.com]

Born in Nantwich, lived in Knutsford for 17 years before coming to Fiji.It's the cheese and the sanity I miss mostly, seeing as they have neither in Fiji at the best of times and especially now under the military regime that's in place. Oddly enough the military have something against cheese.

All being well I expect to settle back near Chester next year. There might even be less of a time lag for responses once I do. Fiji's currently 11 hours ahead, 12 when you switch back to GMT.

Re: Trying for objectivity

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, I know Knutsford. pretty little town.

My brother and sister in law live in Sale which, I believe, although essentially a suburb of Manchester, is technically in Cheshire.

Cheese is good. I have recently developed a passion for St Agur.

One before bed time

[goddlefrood.livejournal.com]

Knutsford's great, but a little out of my current price range. It's become even more upmarket since I lived there last. My folks are still there so the ties are strong enough. Sale's certainly considered Cheshire by me, although the boundary now starts at the M56 roundabout somewhere South of Altrincham, it seems to move every time I visit.

One of the benefits of living in or near Chester would be the Chester Cheese Shop.

I'll catch you later, maybe on another post somewhere. I'd been updating my blog with a thinly disguised commentary on Fiji this evening and now Wednesday morning beckons, as does my cot.

Re: One before bed time

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm very fond of Chester- mainly on account of the museum.

Ah....Roman gravestones!