Andrea wrote:
 
>The issue with slash isn't the erotica, nor is it the same sex
>erotica but the fact that fans of television shows are taking the
>fictive universes and doing with them as they see fit.
 
        Excellent point. Penley's chapter in _Technoculture_
touches briefly on the contrast between George Lukas's reaction
to Star Wars zines and Gene Roddenberry/Paramount's reaction to
Trek ones. Lukas apparently objects to fans interpreting SW
for themselves...
 
        Not that I advocate copyright infringement, but I think it's
ridiculous of the originator of a series to complain that people
are so captivated by his creation that they've taken it into
their hearts and minds.
 
        Admittedly, my point-of-view is biased since I'm a fan
and not the originator of a series, but it seems to me that
once the universe and characters are on the screen they become
a sort of public property, a part of the common culture.
 
        The term I keep coming across in the literature is
"poaching." Fans poach the characters and use them for their
own ends, defying on occasion the creator's intent. I think
that fans have every right to play with and alter the characters,
and write their own versions. The versions already exist in their
minds, why shouldn't they be permitted to share them with others
who love the same series? They've committed themselves to the
characters and the universe; it must in some way be theirs.
 
        Comments?
 
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