Rite of Passage
Nov. 30th, 2005 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityofoneThere comes a time in every young fangirl's life when, should she still reside amongst the chalk-dust lecture halls and book-dust libraries of academia, she must pick up the mantle and write an academic paper about slash. And for me, brothers and sisters (mostly sisters), that time has come.
Basically what happened was this: my popular literature class had a guest lecturer, Prof. McCarthy. She was giving a talk on Poppy Z. Brite's Exquisite Corpse (which, embarrassingly, I still have not been able to find), and in doing so, she talked about serial killers in both history and literature, and provided us with some great quotes. (One of my favorites, Paul Anthony Woods on Norman Bates: "He registers in our hearts as one of the most loveable sickos of pop culture.") Then she showed us selected postings from the Yahoo!Group JeffreyDahmerClub. If you click on the link, which I do NOT recommend, you'll see some of what she showed us: people (mostly women) talking about how much they love Jeffrey Dahmer, how they feel he was just misunderstood, how hot he is--all very serious and earnest. I was, needless to say, disturbed by this. Especially because one of the first thoughts that entered my mind was: "Jesus, these people must've been on Yahoo!Groups talking about their love for a serial killer at the exact same time I, fresh-faced and 17, was there posting about my love for Spike."
...At which point I would like to take a time out and say: Fuck you, David Fury.
But ANYWAY...just then Prof. McCarthy said something about how both serial killers and their fans exhibit an "obsessive and insatiable" need for more, more, more. And then she brought up slash.
Slash readers and writers--the term was of course defined for the giggling audience, with the inevitable Kirk/Spock example and an increase in giggling--exhibit, said McCarthy, the same need for more of their chosen type of media: more story, more sexual tension, more sex. Brite, not a slash fan, has bemoaned the fact that while "real" writers will work hard to "create real, complex, multidimensional characters with lives that need no 'improvement' by the peanut gallery, all some readers really want is for [the characters] to fall into a huge rutting jizz-drenched scrum" (Fan Nine from Outer Space). Prof. McCarthy didn't specifically disagree with Brite; mostly she just drew the obvious connections between sex and violence, making, IMO, rather too big a deal about the possible violent connotations of the word "slash." I really wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say, actually; but more than that, I was disturbed that my mind had made the leap from Jeffrey Dahmer fandom to our fandom first, and without being prompted.
After the lecture, there was a question and answer period. I debated whether I should say anything--I didn't want to "out" myself to a room full of strangers, and I wasn't sure how to neutrally phrase a question, or even what I wanted to ask. Finally, I raised my hand and mumbled something about how, while I definitely saw the connection between obsessive-compulsive, insatiable behaviour and slash fandom, didn't Prof. McCarthy think it might have less to do with violence, and more to do with (here I stumbled, wanting to say--I think--love) romance novels? You know, the type little old ladies check out from the library, the type with Fabio on the cover? Prof. McCarthy conceded that this might be so. Class dismissed.
I left unsatisfied. I thought about just going home and writing a bitchy, dismissive post about how we are NOT like that. Yet I was still bothered by the fact that my brain had made the connection first. And what are we, if not obsessive and insatiable? What does that make us--serial readers? Serial writers? Why do we do what we do?
So I went to Dr. Jones' office hours and outed myself as a slasher.
The meeting began less than promisingly, as he greeted me by saying, "Aren't you the student that asked the question about Fabio?" I admitted that I was, and that yes, I am from Berkeley, and that yes (feeling quite the stereotype), I would like to talk more about the gay porn, please.
Dr. Jones said he was "fascinated by this phenomenon known as 'slash.'" I said I was quite an expert, but that the lecture that morning had made me think about why we did it--why I did it. One of our class' essay titles is "Write an essay on why you think formulaic writing is so popular"--could I, I inquired, write an essay about slash?
His response was enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. Did I mention that I rather adore him? I do, I do.
Anyway, he introduced me to Prof. Silver, whom he called "the university's resident slash expert." Unfortunately, this is not an actual tenured position--too bad, 'cause nice as Prof. Silver was, I could totally have beaten her out for it. She really didn't know much about internet fandom at all, but she gave me a great book--Constance Penley's NASA/TREK, which I highly recommend, despite the fact that it's old and thus deals mostly with 'zines--and even better, a lot of encouragement. In return, I gave her links to some classic fandom stuff--she'd never heard of the Very Secret Diaries! *gasp*--and, when pressed, some of my own stories. (Yikes!) When I come out, I come out hard--bringing the clothes, the hangers, and the dust bunnies with me.
So now--
The short version: I now have just over a weak to write a paper about Why We Slash. I think I can pull together the more academic, sociological sources, but for the rest, I need your help. I want this paper to be different from other writings about slash and fandom: I'm not going to distance myself; rather, I'm going to get permission to write in the first person and include myself in the analysis. I don't want to be yet another judgmental outsider looking in (or down) on "this phenomenon known as slash"; I'm a part of it, I'm not going to deny it, and that gives me a unique perspective.
But I need other people's perspectives--other people's insights--too. So, fellow fandom folks: if you could take the time to answer the following questions, I would be deeply appreciative.
1. What do you get out of a) fanfiction in general and/or genfic; b) romantic, 'shipper fic, regardless of the genders and sexualities of the participants; and c) slash fic, especially m/m slash?
2. How does what you derive from all of these things differ a) from each other; b) from the source material; and c) from real life?
3. If you're a writer as well as a reader, do you derive a different sort of experience from writing than from reading? How do the two compare? (If you're a vidder or artist, please feel free to talk about that, too.)
4. What were your primary reasons for entering fandom--specifically slash fandom? What are your reasons for staying?
5. Why do you think slash fandom and slash fiction are the phenomena that they are?
If you want to provide info about age, gender, sexual preference, when you entered fandom or how long you've been in it, it would be interesting and useful, but obviously, I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. With that in mind, anyone who'd prefer to take this out of a public forum can also e-mail me at kaufmaa@tcd.ie . You can also comment anonymously, though I'd appreciate it if you could provide me with some sort of alias in case I choose to quote you.
With that in mind: unless you tell me otherwise, any quotes I pull will be attributed to your LJ username (minus the LJ distinction, of course.) So if I were quoting myself, I might say: "'I'm in it for the porn, baby!' said one writer, trinityofone. 'Porn, porn, porn--that's what the internet is for!'"* If you'd prefer to be quoted under a different name, just tell me what it is. But don't get too panicky: this paper will most likely be seen by no one other than Dr. Jones, Prof. McCarthy, Prof. Silver, and myself. And we're all very discreet. ;-)
Finally, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. Which is to say: the red light is on, I have multiple varieties of condoms (some are flavored!), but right now I'm all by my lonesome, so I need you to pimp, pimp, pimp. Also, if anyone knows of any communities where I might be able to rustle up some participants, that'd be fab.
So in conclusion: let me know if you have any questions, and thanks in advance!
*Actually, I read slash for the articles. 'The' is a good one; so's 'a.' ...And after that display of dorkery, we're all going to pretend this footnote doesn't exist.
Basically what happened was this: my popular literature class had a guest lecturer, Prof. McCarthy. She was giving a talk on Poppy Z. Brite's Exquisite Corpse (which, embarrassingly, I still have not been able to find), and in doing so, she talked about serial killers in both history and literature, and provided us with some great quotes. (One of my favorites, Paul Anthony Woods on Norman Bates: "He registers in our hearts as one of the most loveable sickos of pop culture.") Then she showed us selected postings from the Yahoo!Group JeffreyDahmerClub. If you click on the link, which I do NOT recommend, you'll see some of what she showed us: people (mostly women) talking about how much they love Jeffrey Dahmer, how they feel he was just misunderstood, how hot he is--all very serious and earnest. I was, needless to say, disturbed by this. Especially because one of the first thoughts that entered my mind was: "Jesus, these people must've been on Yahoo!Groups talking about their love for a serial killer at the exact same time I, fresh-faced and 17, was there posting about my love for Spike."
...At which point I would like to take a time out and say: Fuck you, David Fury.
But ANYWAY...just then Prof. McCarthy said something about how both serial killers and their fans exhibit an "obsessive and insatiable" need for more, more, more. And then she brought up slash.
Slash readers and writers--the term was of course defined for the giggling audience, with the inevitable Kirk/Spock example and an increase in giggling--exhibit, said McCarthy, the same need for more of their chosen type of media: more story, more sexual tension, more sex. Brite, not a slash fan, has bemoaned the fact that while "real" writers will work hard to "create real, complex, multidimensional characters with lives that need no 'improvement' by the peanut gallery, all some readers really want is for [the characters] to fall into a huge rutting jizz-drenched scrum" (Fan Nine from Outer Space). Prof. McCarthy didn't specifically disagree with Brite; mostly she just drew the obvious connections between sex and violence, making, IMO, rather too big a deal about the possible violent connotations of the word "slash." I really wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say, actually; but more than that, I was disturbed that my mind had made the leap from Jeffrey Dahmer fandom to our fandom first, and without being prompted.
After the lecture, there was a question and answer period. I debated whether I should say anything--I didn't want to "out" myself to a room full of strangers, and I wasn't sure how to neutrally phrase a question, or even what I wanted to ask. Finally, I raised my hand and mumbled something about how, while I definitely saw the connection between obsessive-compulsive, insatiable behaviour and slash fandom, didn't Prof. McCarthy think it might have less to do with violence, and more to do with (here I stumbled, wanting to say--I think--love) romance novels? You know, the type little old ladies check out from the library, the type with Fabio on the cover? Prof. McCarthy conceded that this might be so. Class dismissed.
I left unsatisfied. I thought about just going home and writing a bitchy, dismissive post about how we are NOT like that. Yet I was still bothered by the fact that my brain had made the connection first. And what are we, if not obsessive and insatiable? What does that make us--serial readers? Serial writers? Why do we do what we do?
So I went to Dr. Jones' office hours and outed myself as a slasher.
The meeting began less than promisingly, as he greeted me by saying, "Aren't you the student that asked the question about Fabio?" I admitted that I was, and that yes, I am from Berkeley, and that yes (feeling quite the stereotype), I would like to talk more about the gay porn, please.
Dr. Jones said he was "fascinated by this phenomenon known as 'slash.'" I said I was quite an expert, but that the lecture that morning had made me think about why we did it--why I did it. One of our class' essay titles is "Write an essay on why you think formulaic writing is so popular"--could I, I inquired, write an essay about slash?
His response was enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. Did I mention that I rather adore him? I do, I do.
Anyway, he introduced me to Prof. Silver, whom he called "the university's resident slash expert." Unfortunately, this is not an actual tenured position--too bad, 'cause nice as Prof. Silver was, I could totally have beaten her out for it. She really didn't know much about internet fandom at all, but she gave me a great book--Constance Penley's NASA/TREK, which I highly recommend, despite the fact that it's old and thus deals mostly with 'zines--and even better, a lot of encouragement. In return, I gave her links to some classic fandom stuff--she'd never heard of the Very Secret Diaries! *gasp*--and, when pressed, some of my own stories. (Yikes!) When I come out, I come out hard--bringing the clothes, the hangers, and the dust bunnies with me.
So now--
The short version: I now have just over a weak to write a paper about Why We Slash. I think I can pull together the more academic, sociological sources, but for the rest, I need your help. I want this paper to be different from other writings about slash and fandom: I'm not going to distance myself; rather, I'm going to get permission to write in the first person and include myself in the analysis. I don't want to be yet another judgmental outsider looking in (or down) on "this phenomenon known as slash"; I'm a part of it, I'm not going to deny it, and that gives me a unique perspective.
But I need other people's perspectives--other people's insights--too. So, fellow fandom folks: if you could take the time to answer the following questions, I would be deeply appreciative.
1. What do you get out of a) fanfiction in general and/or genfic; b) romantic, 'shipper fic, regardless of the genders and sexualities of the participants; and c) slash fic, especially m/m slash?
2. How does what you derive from all of these things differ a) from each other; b) from the source material; and c) from real life?
3. If you're a writer as well as a reader, do you derive a different sort of experience from writing than from reading? How do the two compare? (If you're a vidder or artist, please feel free to talk about that, too.)
4. What were your primary reasons for entering fandom--specifically slash fandom? What are your reasons for staying?
5. Why do you think slash fandom and slash fiction are the phenomena that they are?
If you want to provide info about age, gender, sexual preference, when you entered fandom or how long you've been in it, it would be interesting and useful, but obviously, I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. With that in mind, anyone who'd prefer to take this out of a public forum can also e-mail me at kaufmaa@tcd.ie . You can also comment anonymously, though I'd appreciate it if you could provide me with some sort of alias in case I choose to quote you.
With that in mind: unless you tell me otherwise, any quotes I pull will be attributed to your LJ username (minus the LJ distinction, of course.) So if I were quoting myself, I might say: "'I'm in it for the porn, baby!' said one writer, trinityofone. 'Porn, porn, porn--that's what the internet is for!'"* If you'd prefer to be quoted under a different name, just tell me what it is. But don't get too panicky: this paper will most likely be seen by no one other than Dr. Jones, Prof. McCarthy, Prof. Silver, and myself. And we're all very discreet. ;-)
Finally, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. Which is to say: the red light is on, I have multiple varieties of condoms (some are flavored!), but right now I'm all by my lonesome, so I need you to pimp, pimp, pimp. Also, if anyone knows of any communities where I might be able to rustle up some participants, that'd be fab.
So in conclusion: let me know if you have any questions, and thanks in advance!
*Actually, I read slash for the articles. 'The' is a good one; so's 'a.' ...And after that display of dorkery, we're all going to pretend this footnote doesn't exist.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-01 12:23 am (UTC)1. (a) Fanfiction in general I got into for two reasons: first for the value as a means of escape, like any other sort of fiction; and second because when I stumbled across it I realised quickly that a lot of the fanfic was better-written and more fun to read than the TV show itself. People can write whatever they want in fanfic, without having to worry about a budget or whether the audience will watch it.
(b) Fanfic with romance is the next natural step up from gen fanfic. I honestly enjoy well-written romance of just about any pairing, although I have to like the characters to be able to enjoy it. When I first started reading it, it was mostly because there was a pairing on the TV show Alias that I really loved, but that the show’s writers just completely overlooked. There were so many wonderful possibilities with this pairing, and it seemed like the only people who saw it were the fanfic writers. Like genfic, it’s a means of gaining some control over characters that you care about.
(c) Slash for me is pretty much the same as het, even if most people would find that odd. The same thing that drives me to read het pairings I care about – the desire to see two characters that have chemistry actually act on that chemistry – drives me to read slash. It’s just that it’s… not heterosexual. And of course there’s the fact that a lot of shows I love are really lacking in strong female characters. This wasn’t the case with Alias, but in some fandoms there’s maybe one or two female characters at all, let alone well-written, likeable female characters. Being willing to accept slash opens up a lot of possibilities for really cool stories. Then there’s the added bonus that there are so many really, really, really good writers who are into slash pairings. With het pairings you often have to sort through a lot of crap to get to really well-done stuff. This can be the case with slash as well, but not usually. And last, there’s the porn. Come on, you didn’t think I wasn’t going to mention it? When it’s well-written, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and as a straight female I have no problems admitting that I find the idea of two guys together incredibly sexy. Of course I’d enjoy reading about it.
2. (a) I’m not sure that they differ from each other that much, at least not for me. I just like reading well-written stories. Admittedly, at the moment I’m reading more slash than het, but it varies any given month.
(b) Slash varies from the source material more than het, in general (obviously), so I guess I’m able to view slash as even more separate from canon than I am het. Slash, in most cases, is about as escapist as you can possibly get. It’s not going to happen in canon, nobody expects it to, so there’s rarely angst about it not happening the way there might be with a het pairing. In the Harry Potter fandom, for instance, I don’t think anyone expects there to be a scene in book seven where Harry and Draco are duelling and then suddenly snogging frantically on the ground. Whereas with some het pairings, there can be a lot of resentment towards the writers of the show or the book for not seeing it the way the person backing a particular pairing sees it.
(c) I’m not under the delusion that men in real life are as (a) repressed as they are sometimes portrayed in slash, or (b) having nearly as much gay sex as they are portrayed as having. (Of course, there are more gay men in the town where I live percentage-wise than just about anywhere else I’ve ever been, so who knows – maybe I’m just not aware of it.) Things don’t happen in real life the way they do in slash – but then again, things don’t happen in real life the way they do in het, either. That’s why they’re both called fiction. However, if two guys started making out in front of me, don’t think I wouldn’t enjoy watching. It’s just not terribly realistic for me to expect it.
(continued...)
Date: 2005-12-01 12:24 am (UTC)3. Oh, definitely. Reading is 99% of the time glee at other people’s talent. It’s less about the show and more about other people’s interpretation of characters I love, and how incredibly well they present those characters. With writing… it’s just something I’m driven to do, when I do it. I’ll get an idea, and it’ll bother me until I write it down. Some fandoms I’d never dream of writing in, not because I don’t care about the characters, but because I just don’t feel the need to write the characters. When I’m writing it’s for myself primarily, and if other people enjoy it, it’s a secondary benefit. It’s nice to be able to play with characters that are ready-made, and a wonderful challenge to keep them those characters but make them your own. The challenge is the enjoyment, whereas with reading there’s only the challenge of coming up with words adequate to the task of letting someone know how much you enjoyed what they wrote.
4. I kind of fell into slash. That’s a weird thing to say, but there was a character that I absolutely loved and adored beyond all measure and I just read everything good I could get my hands on where he was a main character in it, and slash came up in that list. I liked the stories written by one particular slash writer enough that I started reading her stories in other fandoms. I ended up reading my way through HP and Smallville (the only show more determined to crush the soul out of a fangirl than Alias, in my opinion) and because pretty much every single wonderful writer ever suddenly joined up to SGA, I kind of thought, well, okay, sign me up also! As far as staying… I read very, very quickly and so I find it really hard to keep myself in things to read. This is one never-ending source of reading material for me. I’d have to be far, far busier than I am to give fandom up.
5. Are they phenomena? Hm. I didn’t realise that. I can tell you the reasons besides the writing itself that I love the fandoms – the people are hilarious, really funny and smart and for the most part quite friendly – but I really don’t think there are that many of us out there. It’s just a hobby, it’s not something we make any money out of, and at the end of the day we all have real lives. Fandom and fiction, whether slash or het, is just a means of escaping that. It’s just that at this point in time slash seems a bit more… out there than het does. I think, I hope, that that will change someday. Either way, I think the first step to slash being just another geeky hobby is to stop thinking of it as some weird trend that’s sweeping the nation’s women (because the vast majority of us are women). It started up about the same time that women started allowing themselves to explore what they were interested in sexually. Unless women suddenly stop acknowledging what excites them – which would probably bring chicklit to an end as well – I really don’t think it’s gonna go away.
Hope that helps!