riddle me this

[kaigou]

Define fanfiction.

note: that's fanfiction, so it's okay if you can't think of the ninety-nine other categories of fan____.

Comments

[pensnest]

Fiction written by fans because they are fans of the subject matter, and shared freely with other fans for the same reason.

See, I write RPF, and it is just as much fanfic as the FPF I used to write—so 'derivative work' isn't a helpful part of the definition.

[kaigou]

(see my last response to phoebe, above)

Actually, all of the above are 'derivative' in that they're all based on an existing narrative -- even if this 'narrative' is a person's life/existence, which means RPF (along with fictionalized historical biographies!) are 'derivative'. (I'm including 'transformative' within 'derivative' because even when you're transforming, there's still an originating point that you've derived from.)

Adaptations and retellings and whatnot are cousins to fanfiction, by that standard. What has me intrigued is where 'fanfiction' stops and 'adaptation' or 'retelling' or whatever else starts (well, outside of the obvious 'because this chunk of fanfiction is in copyright violation', eheh). I mean, if there's no effective difference between 'fanfiction' and any other derivative work (other than copyright/permissions, that is), then why not call all 'fanfiction' simply 'derivative works'?

[pensnest]

I think you made the point yourself in your previous post - the crucial part of 'fanfiction' is 'fan'. I don't think any definition that attempts to define the results is going to work as well or comprehensively as one that defines the creators. Of course, you probably have to define 'fan' in a particular way...