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alltoseekDay 11 asks us to share our squee for our fandom, why we are so enraptured of it.
ETA: Favourite parts of canon at this post.
Again, you all must know what I think about Aubreyad - we find numerous squee-worthy incidents, phrases, and characters in every chapter. Though I expect what I enjoy most is the escapism. The series is elevated to literature in my mind due to the high quality and distinctive prose of Patrick O'Brian, as well as his ability to draw recognisable yet unique characters. Additionally, his research and breadth of knowledge bring us right into the time he is writing.
Yet his themes are not overwhelmingly dour, as most literature is, or seems to be. Not doomed to tragedy, or regret, or loss, though all those things happen. Everything is also balanced out with humour, and joy, and contentment. Also plenty of those mild irritants of life that are neither its pleasures not its traumas.
So basically life. Normal sort of life, except lived by extraordinary men who are also fallible but heroic. And eminently lovable. And even though plenty of Bad Things happen, basically happy endings abound. So life, but everything works out mostly OK. And it's not your own boring old plain ordinary life, but an exciting and fun life in an age that's long past, that you can enjoy feeling a part of, without having to suffer its miseries.
Escapism. The best kind :D
Finally, of course, there is the epic friendship between our two main protagonists, and friendship that persists and grows stronger with every test of it (of which there are many) of every incident that demonstrates the sometimes polar opposite views and characteristics of the two men.
Who can resist Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin? Who can resist them together?
Not me :D
Now the BBC show Sherlock is a very different beast. It's not literature by any stretch of the imagination; the canon is intolerably short; and the writing is downright awful at times. Nothing about it is like life at all. It's pure escapism, with no redeeming virtues whatsoever.
So why have I remained in the fandom for so long?
I fell in love with the look of the thing - the directors deserve all the praises. The production values are very high; Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are both excellent actor who both know not only how to make the most of their material, but even to create characters that transcend it. (Sherlock occasionally utters speeches you would never expect a character like his to make, but Cumberbatch so thoroughly projects Sherlock's character that you overlook such mishaps in writing - your mind just elides right over them. Whereas John's character is largely presented to us not through his words or even actions, but his expressions - such a mobile face Freeman has!).
And the characters are fascinating. The canon shows enough for us to grasp a bit how fascinating they are, whilst still leaving room for us to interpret them even farther.
Essentially, the creators of Sherlock haven't so much as created a canon to admire, as created a fandom sandbox for fans to play in. I love Sherlock fandom for the many excellent writers in it, who frequently create much better works than the paid creators did. I love Sherlock fandom for the two main characters, whose natures are not only fascinating in themselves but can be very flexible in interpretation. It is possible to create works simultaneously that explore very different ideas of the protagonists.
And the relationship of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and of several of the supporting characters, always remains fun and interesting to examine and explore.
Sherlock and John are very nearly polar opposites, and their differences test and challenge their relationship. Which somehow survives. Holmes and Watson's friendship is epic in all incarnations of canon, and this version is no different.
ETA: Favourite parts of canon at this post.
Again, you all must know what I think about Aubreyad - we find numerous squee-worthy incidents, phrases, and characters in every chapter. Though I expect what I enjoy most is the escapism. The series is elevated to literature in my mind due to the high quality and distinctive prose of Patrick O'Brian, as well as his ability to draw recognisable yet unique characters. Additionally, his research and breadth of knowledge bring us right into the time he is writing.
Yet his themes are not overwhelmingly dour, as most literature is, or seems to be. Not doomed to tragedy, or regret, or loss, though all those things happen. Everything is also balanced out with humour, and joy, and contentment. Also plenty of those mild irritants of life that are neither its pleasures not its traumas.
So basically life. Normal sort of life, except lived by extraordinary men who are also fallible but heroic. And eminently lovable. And even though plenty of Bad Things happen, basically happy endings abound. So life, but everything works out mostly OK. And it's not your own boring old plain ordinary life, but an exciting and fun life in an age that's long past, that you can enjoy feeling a part of, without having to suffer its miseries.
Escapism. The best kind :D
Finally, of course, there is the epic friendship between our two main protagonists, and friendship that persists and grows stronger with every test of it (of which there are many) of every incident that demonstrates the sometimes polar opposite views and characteristics of the two men.
Who can resist Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin? Who can resist them together?
Not me :D
Now the BBC show Sherlock is a very different beast. It's not literature by any stretch of the imagination; the canon is intolerably short; and the writing is downright awful at times. Nothing about it is like life at all. It's pure escapism, with no redeeming virtues whatsoever.
So why have I remained in the fandom for so long?
I fell in love with the look of the thing - the directors deserve all the praises. The production values are very high; Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are both excellent actor who both know not only how to make the most of their material, but even to create characters that transcend it. (Sherlock occasionally utters speeches you would never expect a character like his to make, but Cumberbatch so thoroughly projects Sherlock's character that you overlook such mishaps in writing - your mind just elides right over them. Whereas John's character is largely presented to us not through his words or even actions, but his expressions - such a mobile face Freeman has!).
And the characters are fascinating. The canon shows enough for us to grasp a bit how fascinating they are, whilst still leaving room for us to interpret them even farther.
Essentially, the creators of Sherlock haven't so much as created a canon to admire, as created a fandom sandbox for fans to play in. I love Sherlock fandom for the many excellent writers in it, who frequently create much better works than the paid creators did. I love Sherlock fandom for the two main characters, whose natures are not only fascinating in themselves but can be very flexible in interpretation. It is possible to create works simultaneously that explore very different ideas of the protagonists.
And the relationship of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and of several of the supporting characters, always remains fun and interesting to examine and explore.
Sherlock and John are very nearly polar opposites, and their differences test and challenge their relationship. Which somehow survives. Holmes and Watson's friendship is epic in all incarnations of canon, and this version is no different.
