Genre and audience lurve

[valis2]

This whole CC rehashing makes me wonder anew: what is it exactly about CC's writing that causes such devotion in her fans?

I'm thinking one piece of the puzzle might be genre. Readers generally feel differently about certain genres. Car repair manuals, for example, do not inspire fervent declarations of adoration.

Keep in mind I've only read a little of her work, and that was a while ago. But I'm thinking that it has to do with her fusion of angst and humor. Make someone laugh, and you generally inspire a warm feeling; make someone feel something for a character, and you do the same. I think she does both with her writing, and that might be one clue to her popularity. I mean, humor and crack!fics certainly make one laugh, but I don't think they go to the same place that a story that combines both does.

I also think genre selects audience, to a degree. I wonder if angst!audiences are more passionate about their reading than, say, fluff!readers. Hmm...food for thought.

Comments

[privatemaladict.livejournal.com]

I think we tend to hold on to stuff we used to like, and I also know that for many fans, (myself included), Cassandra Claire's writing is a gateway into fandom.

I used to say I'd never touch fanfiction, but a friend convinced me to read the "Draco" trilogy. It showed me that fanfiction could be written well. And as you say, it was both funny and angsty - the quickest way to my 17-year-old heart! (OMG it was that long ago?!)

While now I can think of a myriad of things wrong with Cassie Clarie's fic (too American, too cliched, too unoriginal, etc), at the time I didn't care. I didn't know about the plagarism thing, but I even if I had, I wouldn't have stopped reading the fic - it was far too entertaining!

I also remember thinking that the main reason I accepted it was because it wasn't really like the real Harry Potter series. That seems weird coming from a massive HP fan, but one of the main reasons I refused to read fanfiction was because I felt that no one except the author had the right to continue their stories. If an author died, leaving a work unfinished, then even if someone else finished it, it wouldn't be the real story - because only the author knows how it really ends! Cassie Claire's fic, however, did not portray anything I could see happening in the real series. And therefore, I didn't feel that she was trying to hijack JKR's story - I could more or less enjoy CC's stories in their own right.

I don't think that explains her popularity, since I've never heard anyone else in the fandom say they felt the same way about fanfiction in general, but I do think you're onto something with the angst + humour thought.

I also think that a lot of people will overlook issues of originality/canon compliance/realism if a story is entertaining enough. Which CC's stories most certainly are.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

The Draco trilogy pulled you into HP fanfic? Well, then, I owe it a debt of gratitude. ;)

It's interesting that you liked the series because it was more of a parallel than a continuation. That's a fascinating thought pattern...just because it was so different from JKR, it held your attention. Hmm...

I'm really thinking that angst/humor is a more powerful combo than I originally thought. Recently I saw a fic with those tags, and I thought, huh? is that really a good pairing? But now, with a bit more thought, I can see its appeal.

[privatemaladict.livejournal.com]

Well, then, I owe it a debt of gratitude. ;)

Awww! Thanks, sweetie. :)

just because it was so different from JKR, it held your attention.

That wasn't why it held my attention - it held my attention because, as you say, it is both funny and angsty. The fact that it was different to JKR simply allowed me to accept it. If it had been too much like JKR, I would've just thought "What a rip-off, she has no right to do this - this is JKR's story!" And I'd be half afraid that it would ruin my appreciation of the real story, because I'd get too used to the CC version of events. But because I didn't believe anything in CC's story to be very likely in the real HP books, it didn't bother me, and I could just enjoy it.

Even now, I prefer fics that don't really try to continue the "real" Harry Potter story. I like fics that give a different perspective on events, or deal with a different time period, or introduce original characters and tell a story that isn't directly related to the real series.