An abominable genre

[fpb]

I am an unashamed Harry Potter fan and keen fan writer and reader. Nevertheless, there is one sub-genre I will never touch, that I have never read nor reviewed nor ever will, that I loathe from the depths of my soul: Marauders slash. Other kinds of slash I can put up with; indeed, I tend to write a gay Harry myself. But this particular slash seems to me revolting, an assault not only on the characters and their relationship, but on a basic kind of human decency and kindness on which rests much of our happiness on this Earth.

In Joanne K.Rowling's novels, the Marauders are a group of four teen-age friends at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. The group forms when childhood friends Sirius Black and James Potter, the stars of their year, handsome and successful, befriend the lonely Remus Lupin and accept the somewhat star-struck friendship of the feeble Peter Pettigrew, a fat little boy with a need for strong friends. Remus is a boy with a terrible secret (he is a werewolf); his friends discover it, and, far from rejecting him, support him. The whole is a celebration of what a blessing is a warm, unconditional friendship for a lonely teen-ager. Friendship is the operative word: the four are happiest together, pulling pranks and breaking rules, learning magic and playing Quidditch.

I do not think I give much away when I say that this depiction of free, warm, luminous friendship, of the happiness of meeting and talking and doing things together, means an enormous amount to me. Friendship has been one of the great things in my life, and I regard it not only as a source of joy but as a positive value.

Anyone who reduces this world of mutual unselfish contact to sexual desire simply has no idea what friendship is about; has never had a friend, and is probably incapable of having any. As for the Marauders themselves, anyone who has read JKR's wonderful account of what the friendship and acceptance of James, Sirius and Peter meant for him in his loneliness, and still can conceive of their relationship as in any way sexual, is as grossly insensitive a reader as anyone can conceive. It simply shows a brute failure to understand any of the higher functions of human nature; a failure which is first and foremost a failure of taste, a failure to understand and appreciate what is in front of their eyes. A good book is a shared experience, an experience in which the author involves the reader. A reader who claims to love what the author has done, and yet, in her own work (for, in this case, it is pretty nearly always a woman), distorts or perverts the very experience that the author provided - in this case, the splendour and refuge of friendship, the discovery of this wonderful world of equals in one's teens - is a person who is not only out of touch with the author, but with herself. She has read; she has had the experience; she has even enjoyed it. Yet, when it comes to elaborating the experience in her own words and adding to it, she does not elaborate, but perverts it. She has failed to appreciate her own experience; in effect, she is lying to herself about herself. The failure is a failure of the self, even before it becomes a failure in relating with others.

This is not only, of course, in evidence in the miserable and ever-growing breed of Marauder slash fics. Just as blatant is the sheer and incomprehensible refusal to come to terms with what the character of Draco Malfoy represents. Anyone with a sane appreciation of storytelling would think that, after the events of ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, it would be impossible to conceive of Draco as anything but a particularly loathsome villain. Every sentence Mrs.Rowling puts in his mouth deepens his moral abjection. He is not only a monster, but a recognizable monster: my God, how many Dracones there are in classrooms and offices, workplaces and clubs, families and regiments. And yet the tide of "redeemed Draco" fics keeps flowing relentlessly onwards, and hundreds of writers write as if it was simply natural that this loathsome toad of a boy, who has done enough to imprint himself indelibly in the memory of all his victims, will marry either Ginny or Hermione or have a homosexual relationship with Harry. (An admittedly brilliant variation, in the context of an excellent story, has him in bed with Neville Longbottom.) Not only is this perversion of the Rowling canon carried out routinely, but it is treated as obvious, as natural; most writers of Draco/Ginny and Draco/Hermione romance fics hardly feel the need to justify their stories.

Nonetheless, there is more to be said in favour of redeemed-Draco fics than of Marauders slash. For one thing, the idea of former enemies getting either physically or metaphorically in bed has an undeniable piquancy; and the better redeemed-Draco fics at least show him dealing one way or another with his abominable previous character.

But for Marauder slash there is no justification. It is simply the result of a brutal and narrow, old-maidish mentality, that cannot see a few men showing a pleasure for each other's company without imagining that sex must be at the heart of it. And as this kind of fic is written largely by women, one also suspects a sort of creeping suspicion and jealousy for an all-male circle of friends: the writer sees a group of men going out alone together - of course, they have to have a reason other than just pleasure in each other's company! Of course, sex is at the bottom of this. After all, we know that men are incapable of thinking of anything else.... Well, actually, experience of certain female writers on the FICTION ALLEY site has convinced me that it is a certain kind of woman who is incapable of thinking of anything except in sexual terms. I will say no more about this; and as this entry has already taken so much space, there will be no piece of writing other than this today.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I personally like Sirius/Remus a lot myself because they remind me of two guys (from a larger group of friends; five if you count me) that I knew in school. They were close friends (duh) in school, but didn't come out until during college, after most of us had split up because they went to a quasi-military school (good engineering program) and we went to more regular (liberal arts) schools. But they had had feelings for each other since they were sixteen (long time!). So, yeah, sex and attraction definitely aren't behind most male friendships, but sometimes it is there. Not very often though.

James/Sirius and James/Remus are real weird though. I mean, James married Lily, so (duh again) he likes girls. It's right there in the books. But it isn't the same with Remus and Sirius.

So I sort of see what you mean and sort of don't.

FYI - I'm only commenting because I miss my friends and thought you might profit by their story. Bye!

[midnightbex.livejournal.com]

Usually I don't hop aboard the f_wank train, but in the case I fear I had to put my proverbial foot in it.

Now, having no background to your reading or slashing experience I'm afraid I can't bring specific pairings that you favor into this argument, but I hope you still hear me out.

Based on you logic, how could anyone pair Harry and Ron? Or Harry and anyone who's nice to him? Or Dean and Seamus? Ron and Hermione? Aren't their canon relationships all based on friendship? How is that so different from the MWPP era fiction?

I also think you have a misunderstanding of much of the MWPP fic. By your own admission you have never read nor 'touched' any MWPP fiction. How do you know the basis for it?

While admittedly there are those who only write PWP or fluff or smut in the era, that's not the basis for why people write these fics. They see this wonderful relationship between the four boys that is based on all of the higher human emotions that you so eloquently stated above. They see Sirius and James as the 'stars of their year' and their kindness in befriending two loners in their house. These people don't believe that their friendships are based on sex, they just see the possibility that this 'depiction of free, warm, luminous friendship' could breed another of the higher human emotions, namely love. How is that perverted or wrong?

I also have to raise a point about your dislike of Draco. He's admittedly a bastard in canon, but that's how Rowling writes all of her dark characters. She has a penchant for two dimensionalizing characters she doesn't like and discrediting their possibilities. Regardless to this fact, I still think he'd be a bastard, but thats not why I like him in fiction. There's only one simple reason I do: he has possibility. Canon!Draco has a whole side to him that simply never gets explored. There are so many possibilities and directions to take with his character. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of redeemed!Draco. I just feel that he has options Rowling won't take. As both a reader and a writer I couldn't possibly pass that up.

[falco-conlon.livejournal.com]

Ok first off, I commend you for stating how you feel in such a sensible and (semi) respectful way. Thank you for not saying "OMG merader slash is soooOOooOooOOOooOO gross!!!!!!11!!1oneone!!1!!!"

But (you saw it coming. You know it, I had but face) I really have to disagree. I do understand where you're coming from about the whole "reducing friendship to sexual desire" thing. But that is a bit of a generalization. I know for a fact that not all Marauder slash out there is just Sirius and James going "oh em gee you are so hawt lykwo lets screw." Most of what I have read is two of the characters realizing that maybe what they feel for each other is more than friendship. This is no more wrong than Harry and Hermione realizing the same thing. The two characters slashed may have sexual desire for each other but this in no way means they aren't friends anymore.

It seems like what you're saying is that because the two characters have had sex together they can't still have that same fantastic bond of friendship that you seem to love so much. Two people in love (or lust) can't be friends? When did this happen, and why didn't I get the memo?

I get that some of the fiction out there is purely for the sake of some english guy on english guy action but you are generalizing and frankly that pisses me off. Feel free to rant at me but please, let me keep my respect for you and respond intelligently if anything?

Love and Waffles
Falco Conlon

PS I agree about the redeeming draco thing. What a load of crap. The guy is evil, get over it.

PPS since when does a girl with a taste for hawt man six have a problem with all male groups of friends? Why can't she just like gay sex?

[falco-conlon.livejournal.com]

PPPS. jesus christ people. Don't comment using anon. That is one of the most pansy ass things possible. Give him/her/it (sorry don't know your gender) a chance to respond.

[(Anonymous)]

Apprendre à lire. Apprendre à parler. Apprendre à écrire.

HP fanfic discussion

[(Anonymous)]

You may be interested to know that your post has generated a lively discussion in this thread (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/492153.html).

[froda-baggins.livejournal.com]

I don't usuall comment on this sort of thing, but as someone who reads and writes all sorts of slash, including Marauders, I feel a need, mostly out of curiosity.

I agree with your sentiments on the nature of the relationship between the Marauders, as I believe friendship to be a wonderful thing. Certainly one would have to be a fool not to.

However, I do have to ask, if you feel it's so degrading to bring sexual attraction into the relationship, why is it okay to slash, say, Harry and Ron, who have the same sort of best-friend-to-the-death bond? Where is the difference? I'm honestly curious, I'm not trying to be antagonistic.

Finally, I do have to take offense to something you said, and here I quote:

Well, actually, experience of certain female writers on the FICTION ALLEY site has convinced me that it is a certain kind of woman who is incapable of thinking of anything except in sexual terms.

I think this is a gross generalization. As a woman who likes to read and write slash, and who has several male friends, of all sexual persuasions, I have to say it's a little ridiculous to make a statement like that. Often I will joke around, of course, about reading sex into every situation, but I hardly do it in real life.

I hardly believe that all men can think about is sex, and when I write Marauder slash, I try not to demean the relationships between the characters by making them all about sex. So do most of the authors I read regularly. Most of us believe in the idea of being in love with a friend, and this is just as admirable an emotion as platonic friendship.

I would recommend you read a Marauder fic or two before telling us all what a deplorable genre it is as a whole.

[latentfunction.livejournal.com]

Out of curiousity, then, with whom do you pair Harry?

[calicokat.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll agree with you on one thing. I really hate Marauders slash. I don't think I hate it for quite the same reason as you, however. I understand that when women want to express sexual fantasies they choose attractive characters. The Marauders are no exception. However, as someone who does not think the Marauders were hitting it with each other, I am sick of only finding stories where they are. (I am sick, too, and particularly, of Sirius/Remus, to the point where I have a horrendous grudge against for no other reason than that I can't seem to avoid the pairing, which I do not enjoy and personally do not see indications of in canon. I would like to read a fic where Sirius and Remus are not after each other's asses, plzkthnx.)

That said, I think you're being ignorant and narrow minded about all this. First of all, you're expressing a real inability to separate women expressing sexual fantasies from women believing that these things went on in the canon. While some readers may, in fact, believe these things went on in the canon (and I would not presume to attest those reader's intelligence), I would suggest that the great, vast majority of women writing Marauder's era slash are simply enjoying healthy sexual fantasies about four engaging men and sharing them with the world. There is NOTHING wrong with this, although it may be annoying when none of them will write a serious fic and leave their fantasies aside. Few people are actually imagining that sex is at the heart of the Marauder's friendship. And if you think they are, you really need to get a grip.

As for redeemed Draco fic... Draco is not the heart of all that is evil, he is a fifteen year old boy who has been raised to these behaviors and isn't even particularly brilliant. Rowling herself comments that another character we haven't seen much of is a much cleverer Slytherin/son-of-a-death-eater than Draco. It is HIGHLY unlikely that Draco will ever become a Death Eater. The second even slightly privileged information catches his ear he's off using it to show off to his friends. You're confusing the character of Draco with the way that Harry sees Draco, and forgetting that these books are from Harry's perspective. Yes, Harry does see Draco as a little monster. But I have seen no indication that Rowling is actually having him act any worse than a spoiled, privileged, son-of-a-Nazi who has no idea how significant death and the horrors of war really are. I don't see any reason to believe he's beyond being able to turn his behavior around if the reality of it all came crashing down on him. (Although I agree that many redeemed!Draco fics don't deal with his "redemption" in a psychologically realistic way for the convience of personal fantasies.)

[majormajormajor.livejournal.com]

If you were smart you would have turned off the comment feature by now.

[waterfall8484]

You're forgetting one thing dearie... A lot of slash out there isn't about sex - it's about love. And love is just as wonderful as friendship. Indeed, when two people love each other they are also often the best of friends.

Shade and sweet reflection,
Waterfall

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

To preface: I don't generally like slash; I find it out of canon, 99.9% of the time out of character, and worst of all, it's quite often boring and badly-written. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between. That being stated, I find your argument a bit strange. I have read all the comments below and so hopefully am not repeating arguments others have made; apologies if I do.

Anyone who reduces this world of mutual unselfish contact to sexual desire simply has no idea what friendship is about; has never had a friend, and is probably incapable of having any.

That's a pretty harsh generalization. Most fanfics are seeking not to reduce that mutual unselfish contact, but to heighten it by adding sexual desire/respect to the already potent feeling of good friendship; those two combined lead to the strongest form of love, which is what your average female has been dreaming about her whole life. How could it not be attractive? The real goal of those slashfics is usually true love and sex as the expression of that love, not sex as being glorified beyond love or friendship. There are exceptions of course, written purely for the sexual content, but they are far from the majority. The majority of slash is actually excessively sweet and platonic, with no sex involved at all. (the excessive unrealistic sweetness of most slashy fics is part of why I tend to find them boring, actually; there is very little time devoted to real relationship problems)

Friendship is the operative word: the four are happiest together, pulling pranks and breaking rules, learning magic and playing Quidditch.

Our only from-canon view of the four at the active time of their friendship indicates that in fact they are happiest when bullying others and rule-breaking, with that rule-breaking not being in the more pranking sense that Fred and George perfect but in the more dodgy stealing school property sense. I'm hardly trying to prove them complete bastards, just pointing out that their relations as shown by JKR are not as idyllic as your description seems to portray. (before you dismiss me as a Snape-lover annoyed at their treatment of him, I should point out that I write MWPP fic emphasizing the friendship, and find Snape fascinating but also a complete bastard of a teacher)

Even assuming that MWPP slash is entirely about producing a written form of masturbation, it has been pointed out elsewhere that the main reason so much slashfiction exists is because it's the female equivalent of lesbian porn. Nearly every male friend I have (including my boyfriend and my brother) is turned on by the idea of two girls getting it on, and would consider watching porn to that effect. Why is it so unthinkable that women would want an equivalent? What's wrong with that? We're less visual than men so we prefer our eroticism in written form rather than filmed, but in the end it amounts to much the same thing. I could also point out how common it is for two girls or a group of girls who are friends to be jeered at and called dykes and so on by men who can't imagine the idea that two girls could just be friends; this has happened to me personally on more than one occassion. The brutal and narrow mentality of which you speak is prevalent on both sides of the fence.

You say you have never read or reviewed any MWPP slash fanfiction; your assertions would carry much more weight if you gave it a try, and then pronounced an opinion. Just a suggestion.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, when I read this I thought it was satire, but comments seems to indicate otherwise, and it's true that all your points are technically correct. :)

[mosellegreen.livejournal.com]

So, it was a link to this post on f_w that brought me to your LJ in the first place. I read the attacks on you at f_w and at the fandomwiki (you got a whole page to yourself!), and I have to say you don't seem that wanky to me. Of course, it could be just because of my own experiences in fandom. Exhibit A: I met the notorious Victoria Bitters at a con once, shortly before her elaborate con games began. She was among those who corrupted a once beloved friend of mine; I found out long after the fact that, among other things, this friend channelled hobbits with Victoria's girlfriend.

I had another fannish friendship which lasted for exactly the length of time it took for me to build the fan a very nice website for all her fanfic. As soon as it was finished, she had a huge fit because I sent her a link to an essay about her current fandom which, though highly complimentary to her fandom, had a different interpretation of it from hers. I spent a couple of years in semi-shock that I had lost an apparently good friend by bringing to her attention the horror of interpretations slightly different from her own until I found out this woman's backstory. She had told me she had an affair with a minor celebrity, that they had lived together and had had an exceedingly nasty breakup that involved the celebrity trashing her house - though not, inexplicably, removing the valuable keepsakes she showed to me. A couple of years later I corresponded with the celebrity for a bit and found out that the two had worked together for a few months... before my former friend was fired for embezzling. There was no affair and no living together and no house-trashing. Yes, based on what I know about them both, I believe the celebrity.

Then there's the nutbars I had a merciful escape from, who got another fan to fall in love with one of them and give them a lot of money before they ditched her and stopped so much as answering her emails, and that one nutbar who believes in Area 51 and used to troll my journal before I F-locked it and put her on email block, and... I could go on, but I won't. The point is, having seen the cynical seduction, financial frauds, and nasty harassment that goes on in fandom, I can't see that an opinionated rant on your own LJ qualifies as "wank". To be honest, if I didn't lock and filter my own posts, I'm sure I'd get as much harassment as you do and would have my own entry on the fandomwiki.