filing off the seriAl nuMbers
71
appropriation. Beyond the established forms of adaptation and marked or
at least traceable quotes that would reverberate in the cultural memory of
the contemporary readers of her fiction, Claire’s unmarked use of extensive
phrases and even scenes from Dean’s book, which was out of print at the
time, did not play according to the rules of the community, and Fanfiction.
net. In June 2001, Claire’s account was deleted from the site. 38 Not all fans
agreed with this penalization of Claire, and she remained a Big Name Fan
for the time she continued to publish her fanfiction on the FictionAlley.
com web page. The explicit and acknowledged reference to pre-texts is
therefore central to legitimate forms of writing, at least for those fans who
were invested enough to partake in this debate. Claire’s ongoing success
as a fanfiction writer and her successful transition to the book market
also show that there is no coherent fan community that could come to a
unitary understanding or evaluation of these concepts. In a similar manner,
James has been successful despite all accusations directed at her work.
The fan community as well as critics and literary scholars are negotiating,
consciously or not, concepts of literary authorship, originality, adaptation,
intertextuality, and plagiarism.
In contrast to the transition of Master of the Universe, the fantastic elements of the Potterverse that are part of The Draco Trilogy needed to be
adjusted to avoid infringement on the copyright of the Harry Potter franchise,
when Clare started to publish her work as novels. The knowledgeable reader
will nevertheless see the origins of the text shine through when humans
outside of the fantastic world are called “mundanes,” 39 which is reverberant
of the “muggles” in the Harry Potter series, and the master villain, Voldemort
in Rowling’s series, is transformed into “Valentine.” Readers and fans of
Cassandra Clare have pointed out the similarities between scenes and
dialogue that are part of her fanfiction and The Mortal Instruments. 40 The
intertextual references to The Draco Trilogy in the book can be read as a nod
to the readers who are familiar with the former fanfiction. It can also be
read as an indication of the attempts of the author and publishers to create
an original author performance for Rumelt or Clare, while at the same time
transposing the fanfiction readership to the book market with her, which
is underscored by the continuity in her pen name. Rumelt used a strategy
38 See “The Draco Trilogy” and Avocado, “The Cassandra Claire Plagiarism Debacle – Part XII,”
Journalfen (blog), Aug. 6, 2006.
39 The term “mundane” is also at times used in fandoms to describe non-fans.
40 See “049. Why I Have a Problem with Cassandra Clare & Why You Should Too.” Life &
Whathaveyou (blog). March 14, 2012.
71
appropriation. Beyond the established forms of adaptation and marked or
at least traceable quotes that would reverberate in the cultural memory of
the contemporary readers of her fiction, Claire’s unmarked use of extensive
phrases and even scenes from Dean’s book, which was out of print at the
time, did not play according to the rules of the community, and Fanfiction.
net. In June 2001, Claire’s account was deleted from the site. 38 Not all fans
agreed with this penalization of Claire, and she remained a Big Name Fan
for the time she continued to publish her fanfiction on the FictionAlley.
com web page. The explicit and acknowledged reference to pre-texts is
therefore central to legitimate forms of writing, at least for those fans who
were invested enough to partake in this debate. Claire’s ongoing success
as a fanfiction writer and her successful transition to the book market
also show that there is no coherent fan community that could come to a
unitary understanding or evaluation of these concepts. In a similar manner,
James has been successful despite all accusations directed at her work.
The fan community as well as critics and literary scholars are negotiating,
consciously or not, concepts of literary authorship, originality, adaptation,
intertextuality, and plagiarism.
In contrast to the transition of Master of the Universe, the fantastic elements of the Potterverse that are part of The Draco Trilogy needed to be
adjusted to avoid infringement on the copyright of the Harry Potter franchise,
when Clare started to publish her work as novels. The knowledgeable reader
will nevertheless see the origins of the text shine through when humans
outside of the fantastic world are called “mundanes,” 39 which is reverberant
of the “muggles” in the Harry Potter series, and the master villain, Voldemort
in Rowling’s series, is transformed into “Valentine.” Readers and fans of
Cassandra Clare have pointed out the similarities between scenes and
dialogue that are part of her fanfiction and The Mortal Instruments. 40 The
intertextual references to The Draco Trilogy in the book can be read as a nod
to the readers who are familiar with the former fanfiction. It can also be
read as an indication of the attempts of the author and publishers to create
an original author performance for Rumelt or Clare, while at the same time
transposing the fanfiction readership to the book market with her, which
is underscored by the continuity in her pen name. Rumelt used a strategy
38 See “The Draco Trilogy” and Avocado, “The Cassandra Claire Plagiarism Debacle – Part XII,”
Journalfen (blog), Aug. 6, 2006.
39 The term “mundane” is also at times used in fandoms to describe non-fans.
40 See “049. Why I Have a Problem with Cassandra Clare & Why You Should Too.” Life &
Whathaveyou (blog). March 14, 2012.