Allusion

One thing about fanfic that bothers me is trying to figure out how much do I have to allude to the original text (which might not be exactly what this entry talks about, but I think they are related). If the readers are intimately familiar with the book(s), TV show, or movie upon which a fanfic story is based, much of the setting, characters, and plot is already available to them from memory. But if the reader is not familiar with the source -- and though in single fandoms its not much of an issue, I think it does happen when people read widely across various fandoms -- then how much is enough?

And then (and this is more on-topic for this entry), how do allusions to the 'real' world in the context of a fanfic story affect it -- for instance, inserting mention of 9/11, presidential candidates, botox injections, iPods, SARs? I'll imagine the mention of events current to the time help establish place/setting in a Highlander fic. I suppose when considering LotR fanfic none of this applies, except for the 'how much canon' dynamic (have you guys seen Willow's post about pumpkins yet, and Teasel's story in response? Hee hee hee).

Of course, should we consider the AU story, all bets are off.

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The following is an excerpt from Part III of the book Making Shapely Fiction, by Jerome Stern. The first two parts are very much worth reading as well. The book is available in paperback.

( Allusion )