What are your thoughts about the program? I noticed the interviewer spent a significant amount of time on The Shipping News and didn't spend as much time on Brokeback Mountain, something I am not sure meant they edited down a longer program to fit within time constraints, or if Proulx purposely didn't want to dwell too much on BBM.
I came away from the program with mixed feelings and, frankly, a few concerns.
Her reaction to the fan fiction community was openly hostile and she seems offended by "gay men changing the ending" to have Jack and Ennis live happily ever after. She also seems offended by the pop culture reinterpretation of the story and I was stunned by her declaration she wishes she never wrote the story.
While she seems to want to move on, there are obviously a lot of us still dwelling to one degree or another on the story and its personal impact on each of us. My personal experience suggests there may actually be more heterosexual female fan fiction writers working with Brokeback Mountain then gay men, and I appreciate she may have concerns about others borrowing 'ownership' of the story concept for their own pieces, but I'm somewhat surprised she doesn't seem to understand what drives some of the fan fiction writers I've come to know.
I have to wonder if some authors don't realize the intent of most fan fiction writers is not to offend the original author but to actually celebrate and honor the original story. With BBM in particular, the urgent desire to take a story that comes away with a devastating ending and change it or find some way to carry it forward is hardly surprising. There are a lot of people, gay men in particular, that are already quite familiar with the rocky roads they travel in American society in coping with sexuality and relationships - even more so in the rural Wyoming she writes about. I submit it's part of the human spirit to try and conquer adversity and find happiness, and while I'd argue that actual positive life change in one's own real life is far more effective than adjusting the lives of fictional characters, why be surprised to find so many writers recreating or extending a story that powerfully touched so many? I don't personally find a need to do that, which is why I am not involved in fan fiction writing, but I can understand why others are.
Second, I am always surprised by the lack of graciousness some people have in accepting the praise and attention they receive from people whose lives were literally shaken, if not permanently changed, by their work. Of course, I'm not in a position to really understand and relate to the attention Ms. Proulx has gotten, and maybe it has been far more than I can imagine, but why is she surprised as a published author and willing participant in the adaptation of her stories to the big screen that she has gotten lavish praise and attention for her work? I can understand her frustration by the use and misuse of her Brokeback Mountain story by various players in the American culture war, where political posturing crashes headfirst into artistic venues, but this should not be a surprise. Proulx has consistently been offended by the "gay cowboy" pop culture reference to her story, and she has made it a point to correct the record at every opportunity, which is valuable. But Proulx also will have to understand that pop culture always boils down concepts and trashes nuance. On some things, you just have to understand the reality and not get too bent out of shape about it.
I was raised to accept praise and good wishes with grace, and I think she'd do better doing the same. I can also say from the early days of BetterMost, the biggest struggle I faced was just getting people to visit and see what our community was all about. I've never forgotten just how grateful I am to the people who make this place what it is and who came here and encouraged me to keep going. I hope Ms. Proulx can remember the universal challenge writers always face - getting noticed and finding enough readers to actually spend time with your work. I hope every author remembers to cherish their readers.
I remain impressed with Annie Proulx's writing and I respect her choice to want to write the stories she chooses to write without being hassled or bothered. I just hope she'll always be willing to accept and respect the praise coming from those whose lives have been touched by her hard work. Attacking your biggest fans risks not getting too many new ones.