I visited a midnight showing of the Wizard of Oz with friends during my misspent teenage years. Callow youth that we were, I expect we might have been under the influence of some controlled substance. That's all a bit vague. What is crystal clear, though, is the memory of sitting in the theater, watching this movie I'd seen so many times previously -- watching as it unfolded, yet again.
However, this time, as the munchkins and witches and so forth all went about their well rehearsed business in the foreground, somehow my attention was riveted on the background. These cheesy painted studio backgrounds of distant mountains had me transfixed. I couldn't help wondering, yes, yes, I know all about the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City and all that. But what the heck is on the other side of those mountains?
This we may say is the inspiration for that experience known as fanfiction. It is a DIY art through which fans tell their own story within the larger framework of the world created by an established work of art and entertainment. This is nothing new; it's been going on for ages. In the sixties though it did become something of a subcultural phenomenon. Both The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Star Trek became the sources for all kinds of creative fanfiction efforts. They reimagined the stories in ways that were beyond the scope, inclination or legal ability of the original show: Klingons could conquer the universe or Kirk and Spock could be gay lovers. This was indeed boldly going where no staff writer had gone before.
At first this fiction was presented in fanzines, which were carbon copied and stapled sheets of paper that were sent by post to subscribers, all enthusiasts and conference attendees. This was all changed by the nineties. The Internet, and especially the World Wide Web, opened up vast new opportunities for fanfiction. Recently, there has been a great boom in the available inventory people have to draw upon of visual, video material. They can be edited and rejigged in all kinds of ways to provide unexpected implications and interpretations. And now fans can do this sitting at their laptop, in their bedroom. What is consistent through it all, though, is this impulse to go over the other side of those mountains -- so to speak.
An original show, like The Walking Dead, only follows, as it were, a thin line of narrative revelation. At every moment the characters go one way or do one thing and leave so many others intriguing enigmas. The rooms that were not entered, the pathways not followed, stones not turned, choices not made, desires not followed: these are the stuff of fanfiction. And it is a thriving undertaking in the world of The Walking Dead fanfiction. Fanfiction.net alone, citing just one example, has well over 2000 entries; stories exploring the Walking Dead world. And that is but the tip of the iceberg.
When looking for the common themes in The Walking Dead fanfiction, the ones that immediately come to one's attention are a focus upon fleshing out the bios and psyches of various characters. Daryl and Andrea are particularly popular objects of such exploration. There's also those who are more focused on getting beyond the distant mountains. They invent their own characters or sometimes clearly place themselves in the world of The Walking Dead, exploring the other possibilities of that world -- far from the goings on of Rick Grimes and co. Some fanfiction creators even ponder the possibility that the zombies may have internal thoughts. What could those be like. Turn to the fanfiction if you want some idea.
There is a great resource here, in the form of The Walking Dead fanfiction, to look more deeply into the possibilities imminent in the various unexplored pathways of the official narrative. Doing that exploration is the mission of a fan base inspired by the world of the TV show that so intrigues them. And, it's just a whole bunch of fun. A question though does come to mind when considering this fascinating world of fanfiction and indeed the general popularity of The Walking Dead.
Maybe the great popularity of The Walking Dead says more about us and our society than seems immediately obvious. If you'd like to know more about that prospect, have a look at another piece we have at Pretty Much Dead Already.
However, this time, as the munchkins and witches and so forth all went about their well rehearsed business in the foreground, somehow my attention was riveted on the background. These cheesy painted studio backgrounds of distant mountains had me transfixed. I couldn't help wondering, yes, yes, I know all about the Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City and all that. But what the heck is on the other side of those mountains?
This we may say is the inspiration for that experience known as fanfiction. It is a DIY art through which fans tell their own story within the larger framework of the world created by an established work of art and entertainment. This is nothing new; it's been going on for ages. In the sixties though it did become something of a subcultural phenomenon. Both The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Star Trek became the sources for all kinds of creative fanfiction efforts. They reimagined the stories in ways that were beyond the scope, inclination or legal ability of the original show: Klingons could conquer the universe or Kirk and Spock could be gay lovers. This was indeed boldly going where no staff writer had gone before.
At first this fiction was presented in fanzines, which were carbon copied and stapled sheets of paper that were sent by post to subscribers, all enthusiasts and conference attendees. This was all changed by the nineties. The Internet, and especially the World Wide Web, opened up vast new opportunities for fanfiction. Recently, there has been a great boom in the available inventory people have to draw upon of visual, video material. They can be edited and rejigged in all kinds of ways to provide unexpected implications and interpretations. And now fans can do this sitting at their laptop, in their bedroom. What is consistent through it all, though, is this impulse to go over the other side of those mountains -- so to speak.
An original show, like The Walking Dead, only follows, as it were, a thin line of narrative revelation. At every moment the characters go one way or do one thing and leave so many others intriguing enigmas. The rooms that were not entered, the pathways not followed, stones not turned, choices not made, desires not followed: these are the stuff of fanfiction. And it is a thriving undertaking in the world of The Walking Dead fanfiction. Fanfiction.net alone, citing just one example, has well over 2000 entries; stories exploring the Walking Dead world. And that is but the tip of the iceberg.
When looking for the common themes in The Walking Dead fanfiction, the ones that immediately come to one's attention are a focus upon fleshing out the bios and psyches of various characters. Daryl and Andrea are particularly popular objects of such exploration. There's also those who are more focused on getting beyond the distant mountains. They invent their own characters or sometimes clearly place themselves in the world of The Walking Dead, exploring the other possibilities of that world -- far from the goings on of Rick Grimes and co. Some fanfiction creators even ponder the possibility that the zombies may have internal thoughts. What could those be like. Turn to the fanfiction if you want some idea.
There is a great resource here, in the form of The Walking Dead fanfiction, to look more deeply into the possibilities imminent in the various unexplored pathways of the official narrative. Doing that exploration is the mission of a fan base inspired by the world of the TV show that so intrigues them. And, it's just a whole bunch of fun. A question though does come to mind when considering this fascinating world of fanfiction and indeed the general popularity of The Walking Dead.
Maybe the great popularity of The Walking Dead says more about us and our society than seems immediately obvious. If you'd like to know more about that prospect, have a look at another piece we have at Pretty Much Dead Already.
About the Author:
Mickey Jhonny also writes at the Mad Men celebration site, The Don Draper Haircut. His controversial piece on the reasons behind the success of the Mad Men TV show is a must read.
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