#authoriship

[jdfitzroy]

THE NOVEL | A Journey

This is the beginning of something new from Graviccino! An ongoing journal for all those aspiring writers!

INTRODUCTION Beginnings are delicate things… As I near the end of my first proper novel’s editing, I want to turn to a journal for its creation. And in the process, find a new story to tell. One filled with pit-falls, dramas and great expectations. So here, I will begin a journal describing the process of writing this novel. Things an inspiring writer might look out for, perhaps, or simply as…

[jesterbells]

this is the only Shakespeare authoriship-question take I will accept

"The curse of the Pharaoh" trope is born from modern Egyptology and not part of ancient Egyptian beliefs, but I think the Pharaohs would really dig it.

"Fuck yeah I'm gonna curse whoever disturbs my afterlife! How fucking dare they?!"

[fitchersvogel]

my only comment on fanfiction vs literature

The most useful distinction between “fanfic” and “literature” is MEANS OF CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION.

As many people have been pointing out, the basic fundamental act of “using pre-existing characters/narratives to tell a new story” is really fucking old. In Western lit, the idea that originality was a virtue (never mind the highest one) is fairly recent: it really takes off during the Romantic period (late 1700s-early 1800s). This is also, NOT COINCIDENTALLY, the time when modern ideas about copyright/intellectual property ALSO start getting codified.

Prior to that, a general attitude was that any assclown can write something ~original~: what takes REAL SKILL is tackling the Great Stories and bringing something new to them. (Note: GREAT stories--writers like Chaucer got sneered at for reworking “low” genres like smutty comedies.) Dante, Milton, etc. were responding to Biblical and theological narratives, and putting their own twists on them--and in Dante’s case, self-inserting.

(Note: I have zero problems describing what Dante did as “self insert” or using fanfic terms in general to describe similar literary concepts: AU, hurt/comfort, whump, etc. Because a) it’s funny, and b) fannish terms are often both accurate and accessible.)

And it’s not just fanfic-ish stuff either: there’s a basic lit-crit concept called “intertextuality,” which states that ALL literature refers back to other books--as Barthes said, “all writing is rewriting.”

However, there are certain types of literature that are much more specific and directed in their intertextuality. This whole category of storytelling can be called “recursive literature”: any story that is extensively and explicitly intertextual to an identifiable pre-existing source, and expects the reader to understand it as such. You don’t pick up Paradise Lost or Ulysses without being immediately aware that they’re retellings of the Book of Genesis and the Odyssey. Likewise, you don’t click on an AO3 link without knowing that you’re getting a reworking of The Terror or whatever. It all falls under the category “recursive literature,” because that category is about specific relationships between texts and the audience’s understanding of that relationship.

Fanfiction is a SUBCATEGORY of recursive literature: it is recursive lit that circulates unofficially, outside of the formal mechanisms of commercial publication. Sometimes this is due to copyright reasons--there’s a fuckton to be said about the relationship between modern commercial concepts of intellectual property and the development of modern fandom--but there are other reasons.

Fanfiction is like a giant slush pile for recursive lit: there’s no barriers or quality controls. While this means that the My Immortals of the world can traumatize us all, it also means that you don’t have to bound by commercial publication’s notions of genre, length, saleability, etc. @seperis once said that great fanfiction is often unpublishable: not because it’s bad, but because it’s so niche, and so deeply embedded within specific microfandoms and friend-group headcanons and fanon that it’s incomprehensible to more than, like, 5 people.

It’s also worth noting that recursive lit in general has often been created by people who were and are marginalized by mainstream literary cultures: women, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, young people. Not surprising: while wanting to respond to stories is pretty much universal, the people for whom the need is most urgent are those who are ignored, condemned or stereotyped within those narratives. And fanfiction--because, again, fanfiction is recursive lit that circulates UNOFFICIALLY--is far more accessible as an artistic medium for marginalized groups.

As for “but but but Riverdale a/b/o mpreg is NOT the same as Paradise Lost!!!!!” Like, no shit? But both of them are recursive lit, because recursive lit is a category defined by relationships between texts, not quality or importance.

On that note, those of us in actual professional literature academia don’t really sit around contemplating whether a given text is ~great literature~ or not: if you’ve ever read academic articles on, say, Shakespeare you’ll notice almost no time spent blowing smoke up his ass for how great his writing is. “Great literature” is subjective, because taste is subjective. What we do care about: is it INTERESTING? Like, does it reward further study? Does it use language or symbols in a distinctive way? Does it tell us something about its purported subject matter, or the context in which it was written? Is it by and/or aimed at a particular audience? What does it tell us about its author, the audience, their priorities and concerns and tastes? And on and on. Stuff can be INTERESTING without being necessarily good! Likewise, it can be interesting without being “important.”

And it’s ALWAYS worth asking questions as to WHY certain texts get considered “good/important,” and why others do not: often, the gender/race/sexuality of the author, the purported “importance” of their subject matter/narrative, and the makeup of the audience affects these things: we ALL know how “stories about straight white men are IMPORTANT and for EVERYONE, while stories about not-straight-not-white not-male people are ONLY for members of that group, and are automatically of lesser quality and importance.” It’s also worth asking why so many assume that “fits into models designed by commercial publishers” is the same thing as “guarantee of quality,” and “circulates informally” means “not good enough.” (As a folklorist, official vs. unofficial, and how those differing circulation models function and impact us, is 100% my wheelhouse.)

A note on the ~Western literary canon~: when those of us who aren’t Harold Bloom (or Harold Bloom-adjacent, like whoever decided the St John’s Great books Program should be a thing) talk about a “canon,” we’re generally talking about literature that was IMPORTANT and INFLUENTIAL. Stuff that broke new aesthetic ground in some way, or became a major cultural touchstone, or had a huge impact on later works. These are texts that people keep returning to, over and over through the years, because they say something meaningful--even centuries after their own time. The “canon” is always in flux, and always being adjusted to reflect social and cultural changes, and changing tastes. It’s a canon because enough people have found meaning in these specific texts to keep returning to them for insight. That doesn’t mean everything in it is going to fit your or my idea of “good” or even “readable,” because it’s more about impact. Taste is subjective, influence can be documented.

TL;DR: recursive literature is a category that includes literature (including Major Classics) and fanfiction; fanfiction is recursive lit that circulates unofficially; Great Literature is stuff that we have defined as meaningful and important for the development of literary storytelling; it’s always worth asking questions about why we consider certain things more or less important, based on their perceived authoriship/audience/method of production.

[marcothejester]

"Heavenly Marked" [A Jojo-based story by Shadow Marco) - Chapter One: Principio del Fin (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/yyUOpNdNJ9 This story takes place in an alternative universe unrelated to the original, canonical Jojo universe, however it will feature some stands and characters from the original universe but with different stories in context, retaining somwhat their original personalities and traits however. The story follows the life of the twins Jodie Joestar and Joel Joestar, whom have lost theirp arents in a supposed incident and are left as orphans. But soon find out the truth about their parents death, and are now dedicated, along with friends, to find out what turtly is going on behind curtains! CONTENT WARNING: This story will contain graphic content, including gore, heavy topics such as suicide, depression, murder, etc. and sexual content. Discression is adviced. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO ARAKI, WHO HAS CREATED THE MAJORITY OF CONCEPTS SHOWCASED ON THIS STORY, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STANDS AND CHARACTERS FEATURED. I DO NOT CLAIM AUTHORISHIP ON ANY OF THEM ASIDE FROM THE CHARACTERS I MADE, JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE IS PROPIETY OF ARAKI.

[medialawreview]

An insight into one of the key cases in copyright. Martin v Kogan sets out some key pointers in establishing joint authoriship of copyright, allowing proper protection for all parties in collaborative works.

Undoubtedly a useful reference for future cases, Martin v Koogan sets out an 11-point code on how to recognise joint ownership.

29 January 2020

[tvratransmedia]

Sara Cutcher (02/29/16)

For me, as both a producer and consumer of media, I think the word creator is the most accurate word you can use when talking about authorship. You have a creator who makes a text, the original text, and then you either collaborate with other creators (producers, directors, or writers that shape or change your text) or with your audience. I’m a big proponent sharing authorship with an audience and participatory fandom as someone who is deeply involved in fan culture. Stein mentions fanfiction, fan videos and fan art as an expansion of transmedia, though it has left the hands of the author or the company producing the original text and ‘official’ texts around it, “we can recognize the expanse of audience authorship as non-linear, ever-expanding transmedia production.” (Stein, p. 405) I think allowing your audience to engage with the material and opens up unique routes for the story world or character development that you as a creator might not have ever thought of or considered. Stein also mentions many instances with authors engaging with their fandom (with very specific parameters) like the Supernatural or Colbert video editing contests. I think sharing authorship with an audience or fans, is a great way to allow your audience to really participate with the texts, and build brand loyalty. In the end, I believe sharing authorship, probably helps the creator in the end.

Discussion Question:

Do you think a creator, group of creators, or a company sharing authorship with an audience helps the creator/company with brand/text loyalty?