74
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
text is “denuded of all markers of its membership in an archive of explicitly
intertextual stories” and “loses many, or most, of the potential meanings
it can have for female readers.” 46 While being popular and financially successful, many of the novels that resulted from the transition of fanfiction
have been criticized for their flatness by literary critics. De Kosnik likewise
argues that The Mortal Instruments, presented as an original work, has lost
“its narrative force. Rather than being an interesting play on a set of core
story elements and familiar characters, the fantext becomes meaningless,
a set of seemingly empty signifiers.” 47 I would not necessarily agree with
de Kosnik on this point, because also as “mere” genre literature, The Mortal
Instruments offers interesting challenges to the romance genre, for example
through the introduction of homosexual attraction between some of the
main characters. These changes or variations can be read in comparison to
other entries in the archive of young adult fantasy fiction in a similar way as a
fanfiction would be read in reference to the pre-text and other entries in the
fanfiction archive. This comparative reading demands a reader experienced
in the conventions of the fantasy or romance genre, one who proactively
reads and compares works alongside each other. While such a comparative
process is inherent in the reception and production of fanfiction, it cannot
be assumed to the same extent in the reception of independently published
novels. Additionally, as mentioned before, a substantial number of readers
are well aware of the novels’ genesis as fanfiction. Therefore, the novels
remain in a liminal position. They can be read as adaptations, as fanfiction
as well as distinct novels.
The performance of authorship and the adaptation of fanfiction
practices
Some of the unease fanfiction provokes in its public perception lies in the
challenge to established ideas of “work” and “authorship” that are triggered
by the visibly divergent practices of writing and performances of authorial
identities on these online sites. On profiles and personal blogs, fans usually
define themselves through their affinity to specific media texts, as authors
of derivative works, and thereby indicate part of the intertext in which
their fanfiction is created. The writing functions for comments on fan sites
foreground multiple authorship, and the collaborative nature of the genre
46 De Kosnik, 122.
47 Ibid., 123.
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
text is “denuded of all markers of its membership in an archive of explicitly
intertextual stories” and “loses many, or most, of the potential meanings
it can have for female readers.” 46 While being popular and financially successful, many of the novels that resulted from the transition of fanfiction
have been criticized for their flatness by literary critics. De Kosnik likewise
argues that The Mortal Instruments, presented as an original work, has lost
“its narrative force. Rather than being an interesting play on a set of core
story elements and familiar characters, the fantext becomes meaningless,
a set of seemingly empty signifiers.” 47 I would not necessarily agree with
de Kosnik on this point, because also as “mere” genre literature, The Mortal
Instruments offers interesting challenges to the romance genre, for example
through the introduction of homosexual attraction between some of the
main characters. These changes or variations can be read in comparison to
other entries in the archive of young adult fantasy fiction in a similar way as a
fanfiction would be read in reference to the pre-text and other entries in the
fanfiction archive. This comparative reading demands a reader experienced
in the conventions of the fantasy or romance genre, one who proactively
reads and compares works alongside each other. While such a comparative
process is inherent in the reception and production of fanfiction, it cannot
be assumed to the same extent in the reception of independently published
novels. Additionally, as mentioned before, a substantial number of readers
are well aware of the novels’ genesis as fanfiction. Therefore, the novels
remain in a liminal position. They can be read as adaptations, as fanfiction
as well as distinct novels.
The performance of authorship and the adaptation of fanfiction
practices
Some of the unease fanfiction provokes in its public perception lies in the
challenge to established ideas of “work” and “authorship” that are triggered
by the visibly divergent practices of writing and performances of authorial
identities on these online sites. On profiles and personal blogs, fans usually
define themselves through their affinity to specific media texts, as authors
of derivative works, and thereby indicate part of the intertext in which
their fanfiction is created. The writing functions for comments on fan sites
foreground multiple authorship, and the collaborative nature of the genre
46 De Kosnik, 122.
47 Ibid., 123.