Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a genre of creative writing where fans craft new stories based on established literary characters and settings from books, movies, television shows, and other media. Predominantly created by amateur writers, these works are often published for free online, allowing enthusiasts to explore different narratives within beloved universes. The roots of fan fiction can be traced back to the 1960s, particularly with the Star Trek fandom, which helped popularize the practice through fanzines—self-published magazines dedicated to fan writing and analysis. While fan fiction has a long history of using existing characters, it has gained significant traction in the digital age, with millions of stories available on various platforms.
Modern fan fiction encompasses a wide array of subgenres, allowing for everything from sequels and alternate universe tales to crossovers between distinct fictional worlds. Although many professional authors have voiced concerns regarding copyright infringement, the practice is often seen as a form of homage or creative expression. Some authors, like J.K. Rowling, have shown support for fan creations, whereas others have actively opposed them, leading to ongoing debates about intellectual property rights. Despite the challenges, several fan fiction writers have transitioned to successful careers, transforming their passion into published works.
Subject Terms
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is fiction written by fans that uses established literary characters and settings. Many fan fiction writers are amateurs, and most fan fiction stories are published free online. However, some professional authors have complained that fan fiction is a form of copyright infringement.
History
Writers have actually been using established characters and settings to create their own stories for many years. In 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray author of the novel Vanity Fair (1848), wrote a sequel to Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1819) because he was disappointed with the original novel's ending, in which the title character marries Rowena instead of Rebecca. Thackeray set out to rectify this with his satirical follow-up, Rebecca and Rowena (1850), in which he reunites Ivanhoe with Rebecca. Later that century, fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote stories about his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes.
The use of preexisting fictional characters and settings in new stories continued into the twentieth century. In the 1960s, Jean Rhys published Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre that tells the story of Mr. Rochester's first wife. That same decade, playwright Tom Stoppard wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which focuses on two minor characters from William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
However, fan fiction as it exists today began when the original Star Trek premiered in 1966. The science-fiction series inspired legions of fans who wanted to interact with other viewers. This led to Spockanalia, a Star Trek fanzine, a magazine created by fans, featuring critical analysis of the show as well as fan fiction. Later, fans of other television series, movies, and books began exchanging their fan fiction through fanzines and at conventions.
In the late twentieth century, the internet allowed fans from around the world to connect with one another and exchange their stories. Today, millions of amateur-penned stories appear on fan fiction websites. These stories feature characters from popular books, television shows, and movies. Fan fiction based on video games, comic books, songs, and real-life people even exists.
Modern fan fiction comes in a variety of forms. Some stories continue the original work. Others explain what characters' lives are like in the future or cross characters from one universe with characters from another. For example, a story might feature characters from the television show Supernatural and the book Twilight. Some stories take place in an alternate universe. For instance, a fan fiction might feature the Harry Potter characters in a world without magic. In addition, a variety of subgenres denotes how authors choose to adjust aspects of the original story regarding characters, couplings, and settings.
Fan Fiction Goes Mainstream
For many years, professional novelists have appropriated characters from the works of long-dead authors, such as Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, for their own use. For example, the characters from Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813) have been featured in everything from murder mysteries, such as P. D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley (2011), to horror stories, like Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009). Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (1594) and Romeo and Juliet (1597) both served as the basis for modern musicals (Kiss Me, Kate, 1948, and West Side Story, 1957, respectively). Author Geraldine Brooks even received the Pulitzer Prize for her 2006 novel March, which focuses on the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women.
Reimaginings such as these have been considered acceptable because the original work is often in the public domain, meaning that the intellectual property rights protecting the work have expired. Publishers have generally frowned upon fan-generated works that use characters created by authors who are still living. This is of little concern to many fan fiction writers. Most write stories and post them online for their own enjoyment.
However, some fan fiction authors have been able to turn their hobbies into full-time careers as the literary community has become more accepting of their work. E. L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) was originally conceived as Twilight (2005) fan fiction. James later changed the characters' names and other identifying characteristics and sold her book to a publisher. The book became a huge success, spawning two sequels and a film adaptation. The social media viral romance novel The Love Hypothesis (2021), by Ali Hazelwood, originally started as online fan fiction about Star Wars characters Kylo Ren and Rey.
Other fan fiction writers have also become successful authors in their own right. Sarah Rees Brennan (the Demon's Lexicon trilogy, 2009–11) and Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments series, 2007–14) both wrote Harry Potter fan fiction before publishing their own work. Author Rainbow Rowell has also written Harry Potter fan fiction, and one of her novels, Fangirl (2013), tells the story of a fan fiction writer who pens tales about a young magician who is strikingly similar to J. K. Rowling's beloved wizard.
Copyright Infringement Issues
Some authors, such as Rowling and Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, have supported fan fiction. Others, including horror writer Anne Rice and fantasy author George R. R. Martin, have vehemently disapproved of the practice. Most fan fiction is posted free online, so the majority of stories fall under the fair use doctrine, meaning that the fan fiction authors do not need permission to use an established author's characters or world. In other cases, such as Fifty Shades of Grey, the characters names and other characteristics are altered so that the work can be published. However, some authors, including science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card, have sent letters from their lawyers asking fan fiction authors to stop using their characters. While Card eventually came to view fan fiction as free advertising for his books, other authors, like Outlander novelist Diana Gabaldon, have felt that fan fiction authors are stealing their audiences and have specifically asked their fans not to write fan fiction based on their work.
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