In what ways has fanfiction, and the rewriting and adaptation of existing fiction, positively impact

Fanfiction can be defined as “writing in which fans use media narratives and pop cultural icons as inspiration for creating their own texts,” [Black, Rebecca W. Language, Culture, and Identity in Online Fanfiction, Page 172 (University of California Press, USA, 2006)] these include texts which “imaginatively extend the original plot line or timeline [...], create new characters [...], and/or develop new relationships between characters that are already present in the original source.”[IBID]

This type of writing has been around for decades, beginning in the early 70’s, and existed long before it’s popularity on the internet [Jenkins, Henry, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (Routledge, London, 1992)]. There was a large audience who enjoyed reading fan-written magazines which focused on the ‘Star Trek’ fandom, including fan-drawn art, and some of the first recorded fanfiction stories. The “readers and writers made up an important part of the entire fan community that kept Star Trek alive” [Verba, Joan Marie, Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan & Zine History 1967-1987, Page Viii (FTL Publications, Minnetonka, 2003)] and since then this commitment to writing within the worlds other people have built has become more popular across a multitude of fandoms.

For my creative piece I decided to rewrite the popular ‘Game of Thrones’[Martin, George R.R, A Game of Thrones (Bantam Books, New York, 1997)] series by George R.R. Martin as a political/business based thriller set in the modern day, which can be found here. Though ‘Game of Thrones’ fanfiction is very popular online, and has a large, dedicated audience, Martin has “never approved of”[Selcke, Dan, George R.R. Martin Gives His Thoughts on Death in Fiction, https://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/17/george-r-r-martin-gives-his-thoughts-on-death-in-fiction/ (Accessed: 03/11/2018)] other people writing stories including the characters he, and other authors, created. Many other authors, such as Orson Scott Card, share this view, with Card going as far as to say, in 2004, that “the time to write fanfiction is ‘never,'” [Romano, Aja, A Guide to Fandom’s Complicated Relationship with Orson Scott Card, https://www.dailydot.com/society/orson-scott-card-enders-game-fandom-anti-gay/ (Published: 07/05/2013; Accessed: 03/11/2018)] and that writing fanfiction including his characters “is morally identical to moving into [his] house without invitation and throwing out [his] family.” [IBID]

However, there are also many authors who encourage people to write fanfiction based on their work. Meg Cabot, author of ‘The Princess Diaries’[Cabot, Meg, The Princess Diaries (Pan Macmillan UK, United Kingdom, 2001)] has often expressed her appreciation for fanfiction, and states that “writing fanfiction is a good way for new writers to learn to tell a story,” [Cabot, Meg, Fan Fiction, https://www.megcabot.com/2006/03/114184067156643148/ (Published: 08/03/2006; Accessed: 03/11/2018)] as they can focus on plot development rather than having to spend time building a whole new world to base their work in. She has also spoken about writing ‘Star Wars’ fanfiction when she was younger and is encouraging other young authors to find their own voice using this method. Even with the split opinions of published authors, it is hard to deny that fanfiction has had a lasting effect on modern fiction. From popular young adult novels to box-office hits, everything has been influenced, in some way, by existing literature.

Within modern young adult fiction there has been an increased interest in the supernatural [Peterson, Valerie, Young Adult and New Adult Book Markets, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-young-adult-book-market-2799954 (Published: 08/01/2018; Accessed: 03/11/2018)]. Whether it’s the gothic settings, or the paranormal protagonists, there has been a rise in the profitability of the mystical, and the young people of the world are getting involved [Rosenberg, Liz, Where the Coolest Kids are, Like, Undead, http://archive.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/06/28/young_adults_feel_affinity_with_supernatural_characters_in_books/ (Published: 28/06/2009; Accessed: 03/11/2018)]. The inspiration for this can be seen in a multitude of classic horror and gothic works.

Bram Stoker wrote ‘Dracula’ [Stoker, Bram, Dracula (Archibald Constable and Company, United Kingdom, 1897)] after seven years of research into European folklore and vampire myth, some of which came from Emily Gerard’s ‘The Land Beyond The Forest’ [Gerard, Emily, The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania (Harper and Brothers, New York, 1888)], and much of the story was taken directly from the information he gained during this time. Though ‘Dracula’ was not the first Vampire novel, it has been one of the most popular classic fictions that covers the topic, and we can see its influence throughout modern young adult fiction.

In Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampire Series [Caine, Rachel, Glass Houses (Alison & Busby, London, 2008)] the vampiric characters, such as Oliver, follow the archetypal rules set by Stoker. Each is described as pale, they need to drink blood to survive, and they have the ability to hypnotise humans, as is seen in the first novel, ‘Glass Houses’ [IBID], when Oliver hypnotises Eve into inviting him into the house [Caine, Rachel, Glass Houses, Page 302 (Alison & Busby, London, 2008)]. Although the storyline is drastically different from Stoker’s novel, there are multiple influences that show themselves over the course of the fifteen novels, and could, due to the similarities between the antagonists, Dracula and Oliver, be seen as a fanfiction of sorts.

There are also similarities to Dracula across a multitude of different vampire novels, all of which are marketed to young people. In the ‘House of Night’ series [Cast, P.C. and Kristin, Marked (St.Martin’s Press, the United States, 2007)], by P.C and Kristin Cast, the protagonist, Zoey Redbird, has the ability to alter human perception and make herself appear invisible as she travels across town. Dracula has also been described as doing this, Professor Van Helsing describes his coming “in mist that he create,”[Stoker, Bram, Dracula, Page 205 (Cosimo, Inc. New York, 2009)] in order to travel unnoticed.

But Stoker was not the only person whose supernatural based work has influenced modern young adult fiction. George A. Romero, in writing and producing ‘Night of the Living Dead’ [Romero, George A. Night of the Living Dead (Image Ten, 1968)], popularised zombies in a way that they had never been seen before [Tudor, Andrew, Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie, Page 101 (Blackwell Publishing, New Jersey, 1989)]. But the popularity of the reanimated dead was not only popular in film. Young adult novels coined the term Zombie Romance, with novels such as ‘Warm Bodies’[Marion, Isaac, Warm Bodies (Random House, the United States, 2013)], by Isaac Marion and ‘Generation Dead’[Waters, Daniel, Generation Dead (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2010)], by Daniel Waters, becoming some of the most popular zombie based fiction. Though there are a lot of differences between Romero’s original work and the work now popular among young people there is no denying its influence. Though there is no direct connection, in terms of plot or character, Romero created the archetypal character that is recognisable within these novels, and therefore, these could be considered works of fanfiction.

It is also hard to ignore the popularity of demons and fallen angels in young adult fiction. Novels such as ‘Fallen’[Kate, Lauren, Fallen (Delacorte Press, the United States, 2009)] by Lauren Kate, ‘Hush Hush’[Fitzpatrick, Becca, Hush Hush (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2009)] by Becca Fitzpatrick, and ‘Shadows’[Meredith, Amy, Shadows (Red Fox, Great Britain, 2010)] by Amy Meredith, all share similar religious links throughout their stories. This is, to some extent, influenced by the teachings of Christianity. Though the term fallen angel is never mentioned in the Bible, it does refer to the angels who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer. In the Book of Revelation [New King James Version: The New Testament, Book of Revelation (Bible Society, the United Kingdom, 2012)] it says “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”[Revelation xii.9 (Bible Society, the United Kingdom, 2012)] Therefore, these novels, which feature the fallen angels, would be considered direct fanfiction of the Bible, as it takes the premade characters and places them into a different situation to create a new, but related, plot.

It is easy to see, as shown above, the ways in which the rewriting of classic literature, and film, has had an effect on modern young adult fiction. However, this is not the only area where this effect is recognisable. Many modern scriptwriters find themselves modernising original stories in order to create new movies and television shows. Some of the most popularly rewritten stories are those of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ‘Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ [Conan Doyle, Arthur, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Waldman Publishing Corporation, New York, 1992)] novels. In modern screenwriting we have had multiple editions of Holmes and Watson. In 2009, Guy Ritchie directed a period version of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ [Ritchie, Guy, Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009)] featuring Robert Downey Jr. as the protagonist. This was followed closely by BBC One’s TV series ‘Sherlock’ [Gatiss, Mark & Moffat, Steven, Sherlock (BBC, 2010 - present)], featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern british detective. And soon after, came the CBS show ‘Elementary’ [Doherty, Robert, Elementary (CBS Television Studios, 2012 - present)], which is set in modern New York. Finally in 2015 Ian McKellen starred as a retired detective in the movie ‘Mr. Holmes’ [Conden, Bill, Mr. Holmes (Miramax, 2015)]. These retellings of the original stories are, by definition, evident works of fanfiction.

But Sherlock Holmes isn’t the only story getting a modern remake. In 1994, Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ [Shakespeare, William, Hamlet (Prestwick House Literary touchstone classics, Delaware, 2005)] got a rather popular retelling in the form of ‘The Lion King’ [Hahn, Don, The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures, 1994)], and only a few years later in 1999, another of his works, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ [Shakespeare, William, The Taming of the Shrew (I.E.Clark Publications, Texas, 1987)] also got remade, soon becoming ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ [Junger, Gil, 10 Things I Hate About You (Touchstone Pictures, 1999)]. These pieces of work fit into a more stereotypical style of fanfiction. Though there are no similarities in terms of characters or setting, the plotline is the same to the original. Jane Austen’s novel ‘Emma’ [Austen, Jane, Emma (John Murray, London, 1816)] received a similar treatment, being the basis for the movie ‘Clueless’ [Heckerling, Amy, Clueless (Paramount Pictures, 1995)] which was released in 1995.

This style of modernising classic literature became very popular in the 90’s and has carried on into the 21st century with the inspiration for shows such as Big Brother [Channel 4, Big Brother (Channel 4, 2000-2010)]/Celebrity Big Brother [Channel 4, Celebrity Big Brother (Channel 4, 2001-2010)] and Room 101 [Mulville, Jimmy, Et Al. Room 101 (Hat Trick Productions, 1994-Present Day)] being taken directly from Nineteen Eighty-Four [Orwell, George, Nineteen Eighty-Four (Penguin Books, London, 1949)] by George Orwell. Though this is often referred to as the adaptation of literature into film, the slight changes, or different takes on the original stories, suggest that this is also a form of fanfiction. Therefore, fanfiction has had a large, and varied effect on the modern film landscape. One of the more popular styles of fanfiction is erotica, known online as smut. This is when the characters are involved in a relationship of a sexual nature with either another character or the reader. “Explicit stories make up a sizable portion of the fanfiction available,” [Mixer, Lindsay M. And Then They Bone: an analysis of fanfiction and its influence on sexual development, Page i (Humboldt State University Press, USA, 2018)] and are often some of the most popularly read works.

One of the most successful examples of this is the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ [James, E.L. 50 Shades of Grey (Vintage Books, United Kingdom, 2011)] series by E.L. James. This novel was originally an erotic story based on the ‘Twilight’ [Meyer, Stephenie, Twilight (Little, Brown and Company, Georgia, 2005)] series by Stephenie Meyers, and like many smut fanfiction writers, James self-published online for a long time before her story was picked up for professional publishing. The first novel topped best-sellers lists internationally, and in 2015 Universal Pictures released a film adaptation [Taylor-Johnson, Sam, 50 Shades of Grey (Universal Pictures, 2015)].

However, some pieces of erotica are closer to their source material than others. In 2013, an author called Karena Rose released a novel titled ‘The Great Gatsby Unbound’ [Rose, Karena, The Great Gatsby Unbound (Hachette UK, United Kingdom, 2013)]. This was an erotic retelling of the relationship between Nick Carraway and his neighbour Jay Gatsby, and though it didn’t sell quiet as well as Fitzgerald’s original novel [Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2004)], it captured the imaginations of readers all over the world who had recognised the underlying homoeroticism in Fitzgerald’s work.

Erotic fanfiction has always had a large, and mainly female, audience [Burriss, Robert, Who Writes (and Reads) Sexually Explicit Fanfic? https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/attraction-evolved/201705/who-writes-and-reads-sexually-explicit-fanfic (Published: 11/05/2017; Accessed: 03/11/2018)] online and one of the main appeals is the variety that is available. It is easy to find a magnitude of erotic stories “ranging from Anime & Manga to Books and Literature to Cartoons & Comics to Celebrities & Real People to Music & Bands.” [Cromwell, Casey, Looking for the best Fanfiction? The literotic site for you, https://www.entitymag.com/literotic-site-archive-of-our-own/ (Published: 02/06/2017; Accessed: 03/11/2018)]

One of the other main benefits of reading online erotic fanfiction is that it is near impossible to professionally publish these works as it raises “intellectual property concerns, such as possible copyright infringement,” [Liebler, Raizel, The Sage Handbook of Intellectual Property: Copyright and Ownership of Fan Created Works: Fanfiction and Beyond, Page 391 (SAGE Publishing, New York, 2015)] and therefore it is often available for free. Readers can read hundreds of different stories with no cost, and it has been a large part of why erotica has done so well online.

Finally, the reader, when focused on online erotic fiction, is not limited for finding themselves within the work. Literary erotica sites have been described as a place “where imagination is your only restrain,” [PinkNews, Five Websites Like Literotica To Quench Your Online Erotica Thirst, https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/09/25/literotica-online-erotica-websites/ (Accessed 05/11/2018)] and it is more than true. Many writers leave their work open ended in order for each reader to imagine themselves into the story. It is this that allows erotic fanfiction to have such a vast and varied audience online, with people of all ages and all backgrounds able to take part in the phenomenon. Some of these works are even catered towards certain minority groups, with some protagonists being a specific race [Tumblr User: Marvelpotterlove, You Sure? https://marvelpotterlove.tumblr.com/post/175975365705/you-sure-pairing-erik-x-reader-summary-after (Published: 17/07/2018; Accessed: 05/11/2018)] or body shape [Tumblr User: callingmrsbarnes, Shape of You, https://callingmrsbarnes.tumblr.com/post/162373666282/shape-of-you (Published: 28/06/2017; Accessed: 05/11/2018)] that is less often represented in wider media. “The creation of such representation allows queer youth [to] identify themselves within the context of mainstream media providing them a space where they can celebrate their budding identity free from harassment.” [Warwood, James, What About Us: Creating Queer Representation in Fanfiction (UM Graduate Student Research Conference, Montana, 2015)] In this way, it can be seen that erotic fanfiction, and other forms of fanfiction, is having a positive effect on the creation of inclusive literature, which focuses on the accurate portrayal of minority groups.

Fanfiction has had, over the time that it has been growing in popularity, a lasting effect on the wider literature, and film, landscape. Whether it is the writing of works which are directly related to characters or stories from popular works of fiction, or it is a modernised take on a classic, there is always some form of inspiration taken from existing literature. Fanfiction has been connecting an online audience for over a decade, bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds due to ease of access and low, if non-existant fees. This has resulted in a large amount of people venturing into writing, not only as a hobby, but also as a career, bringing us some of the most successful works of the 21st century, such as Andy Weir’s ‘The Martian’ [Weir, Andy, The Martian (Random House, London, 2014)], and Cassandra Clare’s ‘The Mortal Instruments’ [Clare, Cassandra, The Mortal Instruments (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2010)] both of which were written by avid fanfiction writers, who also advocate for the induction of fanfiction works into the wider writing community. [ Kovach, Catherine, 7 Authors Who Wrote Fanfiction Because It’s Actually The Best, https://www.bustle.com/articles/160939-7-authors-who-wrote-fanfiction-because-its-actually-the-best (Published: 05/20/2016; Accessed: 06/11/2018)]

Bibliography:

1. Austen, Jane, Emma (John Murray, London, 1816)

2. Black, Rebecca W. Language, Culture, and Identity in Online Fanfiction (University of California Press, USA, 2006)

3. Burriss, Robert, Who Writes (and Reads) Sexually Explicit Fanfic? https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/attraction-evolved/201705/who-writes-and-reads-sexually-explicit-fanfic (Published: 11/05/2017; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

4. Cabot, Meg, Fan Fiction, https://www.megcabot.com/2006/03/114184067156643148/ (Published: 08/03/2006; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

5. Cabot, Meg, The Princess Diaries (Pan Macmillan UK, United Kingdom, 2001)

6. Caine, Rachel, Glass Houses (Alison & Busby, London, 2008)

7. Cast, P.C. and Kristin, Marked (St.Martin’s Press, the United States, 2007)

8. Channel 4, Big Brother (Channel 4, 2000-2010)

9. Channel 4, Celebrity Big Brother (Channel 4, 2001-2010)

10. Clare, Cassandra, The Mortal Instruments (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2010)

11. Conan Doyle, Arthur, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Waldman Publishing Corporation, New York, 1992)

12. Conden, Bill, Mr. Holmes (Miramax, 2015)

13. Cromwell, Casey, Looking for the best Fanfiction? The literotic site for you, https://www.entitymag.com/literotic-site-archive-of-our-own/ (Published: 02/06/2017; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

14. Doherty, Robert, Elementary (CBS Television Studios, 2012 - present)

15. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2004)

16. Fitzpatrick, Becca, Hush Hush (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2009)

17. Gatiss, Mark & Moffat, Steven, Sherlock (BBC, 2010 - present)

18. Gerard, Emily, The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania (Harper and Brothers, New York, 1888)

19. Hahn, Don, The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures, 1994)

20. Heckerling, Amy, Clueless (Paramount Pictures, 1995)

21. James, E.L. 50 Shades of Grey (Vintage Books, United Kingdom, 2011)

22. Jenkins, Henry, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (Routledge, London, 1992)

23. Junger, Gil, 10 Things I Hate About You (Touchstone Pictures, 1999)

24. Kate, Lauren, Fallen (Delacorte Press, the United States, 2009)

25. Kovach, Catherine, 7 Authors Who Wrote Fanfiction Because It’s Actually The Best, https://www.bustle.com/articles/160939-7-authors-who-wrote-fanfiction-because-its-actually-the-best (Published: 05/20/2016; Accessed: 06/11/2018)

26. Liebler, Raizel, The Sage Handbook of Intellectual Property: Copyright and Ownership of Fan Created Works: Fanfiction and Beyond (SAGE Publishing, New York, 2015)

27. Marion, Isaac, Warm Bodies (Random House, the United States, 2013)

28. Martin, George R.R, A Game of Thrones (Bantam Books, New York, 1997)

29. Meredith, Amy, Shadows (Red Fox, Great Britain, 2010)

30. Meyer, Stephenie, Twilight (Little, Brown and Company, Georgia, 2005)

31. Mixer, Lindsay M. And Then They Bone: an analysis of fanfiction and its influence on sexual development (Humboldt State University Press, USA, 2018)

32. Mulville, Jimmy, Et Al. Room 101 (Hat Trick Productions, 1994-Present Day)

33. New King James Version: The New Testament (Bible Society, the United Kingdom, 2012)

34. Orwell, George, Nineteen Eighty-Four (Penguin Books, London, 1949)

35. PinkNews, Five Websites Like Literotica To Quench Your Online Erotica Thirst, https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/09/25/literotica-online-erotica-websites/ (Accessed 05/11/2018)

36. Peterson, Valerie, Young Adult and New Adult Book Markets, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-young-adult-book-market-2799954 (Pubished: 08/01/2018; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

37. Ritchie, Guy, Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009)

38. Romano, Aja, A Guide to Fandom’s Complicated Relationship with Orson Scott Card, https://www.dailydot.com/society/orson-scott-card-enders-game-fandom-anti-gay/ (Published: 07/05/2013; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

39. Romero, George A. Night of the Living Dead (Image Ten, 1968)

40. Rose, Karena, The Great Gatsby Unbound (Hachette UK, United Kingdom, 2013)

41. Rosenberg, Liz, Where the Coolest Kids are, Like, Undead, http://archive.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/06/28/young_adults_feel_affinity_with_supernatural_characters_in_books/ (Published: 28/06/2009; Accessed: 03/11/2018)

42. Selcke, Dan, George R.R. Martin Gives His Thoughts on Death in Fiction, https://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/17/george-r-r-martin-gives-his-thoughts-on-death-in-fiction/ (Accessed: 03/11/2018)

43. Shakespeare, William, Hamlet (Prestwick House Literary touchstone classics, Delaware, 2005)

44. Shakespeare, William, The Taming of the Shrew (I.E.Clark Publications, Texas, 1987)

45. Stoker, Bram, Dracula (Archibald Constable and Company, United Kingdom, 1897)

46. Taylor-Johnson, Sam, 50 Shades of Grey (Universal Pictures, 2015)

47. Tudor, Andrew, Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie (Blackwell Publishing, New Jersey, 1989)

48. Tumblr User: callingmrsbarnes, Shape of You, https://callingmrsbarnes.tumblr.com/post/162373666282/shape-of-you (Published: 28/06/2017; Accessed: 05/11/2018)

49. Tumblr User: Marvelpotterlove, You Sure? https://marvelpotterlove.tumblr.com/post/175975365705/you-sure-pairing-erik-x-reader-summary-after (Published: 17/07/2018; Accessed: 05/11/2018)

50. Verba, Joan Marie, Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan & Zine History 1967-1987 (FTL Publications, Minnetonka, 2003)

51. Warwood, James, What About Us: Creating Queer Representation in Fanfiction (UM Graduate Student Research Conference, Montana, 2015)

52. Waters, Daniel, Generation Dead (Simon and Schuster, the United States, 2010)

53. Weir, Andy, The Martian (Random House, London, 2014)

#fanfiction #university #essay