The Difference Between TBAY and FF (WAS FF: Speculation; Fanfic is like TBAY

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 39063

 
> Here I must disagree. A Snape/Lily story is by definition all about 
> how Lily felt, and how Snape felt, and what James knew. The 
author's 
> portrayal of the emotions, convincing or otherwise, is the point. 
In 
> a TBAY Good Ship LOLLIPOPS post, however, despite the "decorative 
> prose", the point is to list points of canon that support 
LOLLIPOPS, 
> point out canonical problems that it answers, and list literary 
> parallels. There may be a lot of prose about Tabouli hanging Elkins 
> from the yard arm, and what George is doing while Tabouli is 
talking, 
> but the main point is to set forth an ordinary theory, which will 
be 
> treated as an ordinary theory in response. No-one responds to a 
TBAY 
> post by saying, "Your portrayal of Snape's bitterness was 
refreshing 
> and original. I almost felt sorry for him." (which is the way 
people 
> respond to FFs) Instead, admist a narrative of escape from 
LOLLIPOPS, 
> someone will point out literary reasons for avoiding LOLLIPOPS and 
> canonical problems in LOLLIPOPS.

Agreed.  All I'm saying is that FF and TBAY are two sides of the same 
coin.  They are two different methods of connecting-the-dots. FF is 
written, at least in some cases, to try to present a logical 
explanation of what might have happened between characters, while 
maintaining a consistent, canonical viewpoint of those characters.  
And people reading that fic may very well walk away from it because 
they perceive canonical problems with it, or that it does not 
resonate with them because the author's interpretation of the 
characters cannot make them suspend the characterizations they have 
in their own mind.

> Furthermore, the decorative prose is often quite self-referential, 
> adding a further layer of meaning to the posts. Elkins' latest 
attack 
> on Cindy is a clever spin on her T.S. Eliot-Neville post. As an 
> English student, I enjoy this sort of cleverness, the moments when 
> one goes - "Oh, that's what the author's up to!" The worm who hopes 
> not to turn, but is forced to, a concept Elkins was discussing, is 
> here made concrete. This is not fanfic, but a form of fictionalized 
> literary analysis, that, I have noticed, many academics love to 
> write. I was early introduced to the genre by a classicist who 
taught 
> me in junior high the basics of English, World History, and Latin. 
> His twenty pages on Vergilian meter would have done Theory Bay 
proud. 
> Yet, they were no way comparable to historical fiction about Vergil 
> and Horace, even though both Vergil and Horace had TBAY-like 
> appearances. He was a very good and entertaining teacher. 
> 
> >If you 
> > don't buy the Snape/Lily thing, no story will convince you.  If 
you 
> > don't buy the Snape/Lily thing, no amount of theorizing will 
> convince 
> > you, either.
> 
> Err... I don't know about you, but did you come to the HP fandom 
with 
> all your pet theories already formed and laid out? 
>Fanfic has not 
> changed my mind on anything, but theorizing has made all the 
> difference. I joined LOLLIPOPS because of canon discussion in TBAY 
> surroundings, and left it because of canon discussion in TBAY 
> surroundings. Before I joined HPFGU, I never even considered 
Neville 
> having a memory charm, for example. The reason one doesn't buy 
> Snape/Lily is one doesn't think the evidence is anywhere near 
> adequate. This has a lot to do with personal preferences etc. but 
> it's going a little too far, imho, to say that theorizing has no 
> impact at all. If so, what's the point of having this discussion 
> group?
 
I enjoy reading posts where someone comes up with a completely new 
idea or notices a theme we haven't discussed or draws a parallel to 
other works of literature.  The first time the Snape-as-vampire idea 
came up, I thought that people were quite thorough in the examination 
of the idea.  Did that convince me that Snape was a vampire?  No, and 
that's simply because we already have one "dark creature" with 
Lupin's werewolf, and I thought JKR would not draw from that well 
again. The thought of Neville having a memory charm was also 
something I had never thought of.  It's very plausible to me, so, to 
answer your question, no, I did not come to this group with all my 
pet theories laid out. 

Perhaps it's merely a matter of style to me.  If someone has a 
theory, by all means, put it out there for everyone to discuss, or 
not. And, if you want to have the theory set sail on a kayak, a ship, 
or a raft, and give it a name, appoint a captain, design colors for 
the flag, go right ahead. Obviously, this is a popular method of 
discussing the HP books.  However, not being one with a background in 
fictionalized literary analysis, perhaps the cleverness that is 
inherent in some of these posts flies by my head while I'm busy 
getting to the meat of the theory. 

Marianne