Criticism and Authority in Fandom

[branchandroot]

Read this essay in its new home.

Comments

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

In so far I've seen in about 4 years of actively hovering around the various Internet fan-groups, the family authority model, albeit one sometimes extended to include a larger 'outside' group that sometimes forms around the core people in a particular fandom, shows up the most often. Even in real life interactions with netfans one personally knows *grin*. Mostly the people one feels most comfortable accepting criticism from in a fandom setting tend to be those either long enough in said group to be given some form of respect and authority, or else 'peers' from said group with whom there is some sense of commonality. If my description makes sense.

Fandom fits together a bit like a family you choose, as opposed to the one you're born with, I guess. But I'm not all that sure fandom is entirely decentralised; within a fandom, if the group is large enough and 'old' enough relatively speaking, within the fandom 'family' there may form a core 'family', a center of sorts, or the fans specialise more and more into groups of voluntary kin that share their feelings, opinions, or views on something.

[branchandroot]

You know, what fascinates me most is that this can happen without a connection such as blood relation. But, then, perhaps that simply demonstrates that blood relation is as much or little of an abstract connection as, say, liking yaoi. Hmmm.

But, yes, family is certainly the model I've seen most often.

[minisinoo.livejournal.com]

Excellent post. I've often thought about this matter, and the issue of authority. In RL, I'm both a professional (fiction) author as well as an academic, and so, when I critique a student's story at a workshop, or critique a student's paper for class, the authority is there, bestowed either by my publishing record or my Ph.D. In fanfic, neither of those apply.

The closest authority I've found in fandom is 1) showing I can do it myself (which boils down to winning awards for fiction and being recognized as competent), and 2) critique that explains not just what's wrong, but how it's wrong and how to fix it (from experience teaching writing). But both those things only take one so far, as you note, and some folks simply aren't interested in what I have to say. Over the years, it's led me to be quite cagey in what I review/respond to in critical fashion. I will only give critique if asked for it, because then the person with the story has granted me the authority to comment on it. But again, that's a specific situation.

So very interesting thoughts. Thank you.

[branchandroot]

Delighted I could spark some good thoughts.

I will only give critique if asked for it

*rueful* That's certainly the policy I've wound up adopting as safest. Anything else seems to lead quickly to acrimony. The classroom is so much easier.