Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Fan Fiction & Poetry
General Discussion and Recs
mvansand76:
--- Quote from: Scott on July 26, 2007, 03:43:59 pm ---The one thing I could never quite wrap my brain around were those folks who blatantly said: "I don't read dead Jack stories". They were rather a rabid bunch abuot the subject. Whenever I heard that, my skin crawled, he was dead...so, did you see the movie? Read the book? Guess AP had no justification in killing the poor guy off, let's annihalate her, and make her life miserable.
--- End quote ---
I don't think that's what people mean when they say "I don't read dead Jack stories". The people who say this, their overall reason for reading fanfic is to read about a different ending in which Jack and Ennis live happily ever after, or about the time in which they were happy, like canon stories that take place during their summer on the mountain. They simply cannot stand to read about Jack dying or about Ennis moving on, because it hurts too much. I think there is nothing wrong with taking such a stance, as long as you respect the writers who write dead!Jack or MO!Ennis.
moremojo:
I kind of fell into the opposite camp in preferring stories that followed Proulx's original conception of Jack indeed dying in the course of Ennis's existence. When I stated this preference in words, some folks seemed to take umbrage at my apparent dissing of AU stories--which was not my intention.
louisev:
And yes, I think the pendulum is swinging the other way now. Now that some ground has been broken - now that tears have been shed and boundaries have been crossed, more readers are getting ready to read something other than interpolated moments between the Brokeback Summer and the reunion, because there are only so many beautiful moments that can be depicted without getting to the hard reality of the plot, and because there is a point at which the big picture of the characters and their ultimate fates, needs to be faced and seen to be relevant.
I had a mail from an author who watched in sad silence for all of the flak I got for writing my "Moving On" story, and even though there had been Forster's "Ennis" for many months prior to my writing a word in this fandom, and even though there were other stories about Ennis after the end of the original book, the lashback against Ennis finding a new relationship really hit its stride when I wrote my story. I felt myself completely incapable of writing a story that changed the ending of BBM, so if I wanted to write something, I had to write it starting at the end of BBM, and not change any of the facts, at least of the short story, if I could. I thought that was adequately "respectful" in that the tale had not been changed at all. At any rate, this author of strictly "canon and au" stories told me that there was a time when the slightest adventuresome idea about life after Jack incited intense negative emotions, and in a year, that feeling in the fan fic arena has greatly changed, and that my story helped effect that change.
I was immensely flattered, but I also don't think I was alone in this, because I'm not the only person who ventured there with a story, I was just the most visible and prolific. Moving on or "Dead Jack" stories remain problematic, and a lot of people still avoid them, preferring "happy ending" or "happy interlude" tales still, but there is a growing taste for new things... and the newest thing of all is writing original post-Brokeback tales.
And I agree with you S del S - the future is in original gay and erotic stories - and I hope those of you who have found a voice in fanfiction go all the way and write something marketable and publish it, or edit your existing works, and publish them, because this, I believe, fulfills one of the deeper and more universal messages of BBM - carpe diem.
yb:
--- Quote from: *Helen* on July 26, 2007, 02:43:19 pm ---Hope you don't mind me quoting you, but I've read it a couple of times recently and am wondering just what is meant by this. ??? ???
For me, it means an author or a story that is off the radar. For instance, the story "Ennis" that was just quoted - I haven't even heard of it. And if it's good but unknown then that's what I would call underrated.
Vic has always had a good readership and a good number of responses to her story. Underrated isn't a word I would use to describe her and her stories.
I guess I am just confused, and apologies for picking you out to ask you about this! :)
--- End quote ---
No, Helen, I don't mind at all. Louise explained quite clearly what underrated is.
While I agree with your observation about the readership of Vic's stories, I do have a slightly different opinion. As I said, I started BR from about chapter 17 and lurked at the BBM forums at the same time but found that her story was practically ignored in all of them. I would say the response she got on her lj was fair, not great when compared against some other more famous writers. It's only until she decided to friend-lock her journal than a lot of silent readers came out and expressed how they have been reading and loving her story and requested to be friended; to be honest, I was rather shocked by this overwhelming response and she admitted to have the same feeling herself. So, my interpretation of underrated is the feeling that she should have received more recognition about her writing than she was getting that made me think she's underrated.
BTW, Helen, how is Lotus Blossom going?
mariez:
--- Quote from: Scott on July 26, 2007, 01:50:25 pm ---
A Love Born From Steel - I liked it. Genuine charectarization, honest writing, again despite the AU aspect of it, but if I had never heard of BBM in any form I would have enjoyed this.
--- End quote ---
A Love Born From Steel and its sequel Through the Veil of Time are classics and definitely my "comfort" fics that I still turn to. In fact, I'll probably read a chapter or two tonight.
--- Quote from: louise van hine on July 26, 2007, 03:03:24 pm ---The belief that we each have our own vision is actually built into the rules of this forum area. We actively discourage members from touting one story as authentic or authorative over another - because it's ALL fanfic, and no one has the blessed holy vision of Jack and Ennis.
--- End quote ---
Amen, Louise!
I agree about the direction of fics and AU/AU's in particular - I'm at a point where I don't need to see the J&E names all the time. And speaking of that:
--- Quote from: yb on July 26, 2007, 06:31:04 pm ---BTW, Helen, how is Lotus Blossom going?
--- End quote ---
I was wondering the same thing myself (although I know "Going Home" is your priority right now). I believe your "J" character - Jairaj - is the first non-caucasian I've seen. I love that idea.
Marie
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version