Yours-truly wrote on 16-jun-2001:
>>>Every time I apply standard techniques of literary criticism to
>>>fanfic, somebody says this. Why?

Gryphon wrote later on 16-jun-2001:
>>Probably because the standard techniques of literary criticism come
>>off as extremely irritating and pretentious when applied to something
>>you were neither forced, charged, nor paid to read.

Hey, some of us *enjoyed* high school English class. :) And don't feel singled out: I review printed books too.

Besides, (voice gets misty here) I wouldn't spend the effort to gripe about UF if I didn't enjoy it. (beat) Oh, wait -- I seem to have written a synopsis of
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. This is not exactly buttressing my thesis...

(Though with all due fairness to Mr.Saban et al, "Power Rangers Timeforce" achieves new heights of complexity in its book-end characterizations; and the Pink Ranger is the leader, to boot.)

((I'm just digging my hole deeper here, aren't I?))

Laudre wrote even later on 16-jun-2001:
>Okay, I'm going to have to agree with thorne/Phil here.

Thank you for confirming I'm not a total critique-weirdo. And thanks also to Matrix Dragon, Drakensisthered and Bob Schroek. (Though their comments relate to proper spelling, which I think no one can object to -- except, apparently, for certain hypersensitive authors mentioned on Lizard's fanfic-writers_l@io.com, to which Megazone sometimes posts.)

And "Phil" is fine. I picked "thorne" as a username because, on most services, it's usually already taken; and I've never really gotten into the whole "nic" thing.

>[...] hand-waving any degree of sloppiness
>in online fic -- be it original or fan -- is yet another reinforcement
>of the acceptance of inferior quality. [...]
>I judge things I read online, even fanfic,
>by the same yardstick I use to judge professional writing. [...]

I should note that I've never had any problem with EPU's spelling or grammar, and only minor objections to certain elements of style. (But many professional authors I've read do worse.) What gets my goat is the way *oodles* of source material (from anime, occidental-SF, etc.) -- personas, characters, ships, entire political unions -- have been jammed together, just because they're "cool". Given my personal preference for fictional universes that evolve according to *rules*, not *fiat*, it just *grates*.

It's a love-hate relationship. I love the characters and hate certain aspects of the venue.