fannish types
Oct. 6th, 2008 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreHere is an interesting post on two Intellectual and Emotional fans and approaches to fandom and fiction. (Though I think "Analytical" is much more fitting than "Intellectual." I think it represents the responses and comments better, and that most would be more willing to label themselves as such.)
See also: Why Megan hates or is "meh" about many popular things.
I don't think it's quite as strict a divide as it comes across in the post (but then, I don't think the OP intends for it to be a strict divide) but I think most of what it says is pretty spot on.
For example, I hate the standard kdrama trope of the Cinderella story where the poor girl and/or her family is saved by the rich guy, who treats her badly throughout the series, but it's ok, because he's angsty and he loves her, so he can treat her badly as long as she gets the cute guy and a better financial/social position.* Most, however, don't seem to be bothered by "male angst justifies bad treatment of female," especially with the "gets guy" addendum, (this applies to a lot of romantic fiction) or even see it as such, and just want the angsty love story. Approaching fiction for and like that isn't "wrong" or "bad," but is obviously the opposite of how I read it, as very different things are wanted from it. On the flipside, when you add in his selling himself as a child so she can have an operation to save her life to the trope, I turn amazingly forgiving. (It also helps that his adoptive mother is so mentally fragile that for once I can understand the whole "push away for greater good" thing.
*My Girl is the only one I've seen with this Cinderella trope where I never thought he treated her badly or was a jerk. Lovers and 1% of Anything dance around the trope a bit, but ultimately they're pretty much on the same social standing, and the only time either heroine needs to be "saved" is when the guy caused the situation in one way or another, so she's never in his debt so that his actions are excused by that.
See also: Why Megan hates or is "meh" about many popular things.
I don't think it's quite as strict a divide as it comes across in the post (but then, I don't think the OP intends for it to be a strict divide) but I think most of what it says is pretty spot on.
For example, I hate the standard kdrama trope of the Cinderella story where the poor girl and/or her family is saved by the rich guy, who treats her badly throughout the series, but it's ok, because he's angsty and he loves her, so he can treat her badly as long as she gets the cute guy and a better financial/social position.* Most, however, don't seem to be bothered by "male angst justifies bad treatment of female," especially with the "gets guy" addendum, (this applies to a lot of romantic fiction) or even see it as such, and just want the angsty love story. Approaching fiction for and like that isn't "wrong" or "bad," but is obviously the opposite of how I read it, as very different things are wanted from it. On the flipside, when you add in his selling himself as a child so she can have an operation to save her life to the trope, I turn amazingly forgiving. (It also helps that his adoptive mother is so mentally fragile that for once I can understand the whole "push away for greater good" thing.
*My Girl is the only one I've seen with this Cinderella trope where I never thought he treated her badly or was a jerk. Lovers and 1% of Anything dance around the trope a bit, but ultimately they're pretty much on the same social standing, and the only time either heroine needs to be "saved" is when the guy caused the situation in one way or another, so she's never in his debt so that his actions are excused by that.
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Date: 2008-10-07 03:07 am (UTC)I think the behaviors and differences are very well explained, it just doesn't get into the overlap, and how certain exceptions can be made.
For example, I tend to automatically break things down to their elements no matter how much I like them, but I also know that, when it comes to a discussion or debate, I'll first default to "what are you saying about the female involved" and if there's somesort of character conflict or two characters annoying or mistreating each other, I'll most likely see it from the POV of the female in question. Like, female characters in shounen tend to need rescuing. A lot of people go "I don't like these girls because the guys have to rescue them," while I'm usually thinking about the junk they have to put up with just because of some guy. (And what she puts up with always seems to outwegh what he does to me.) And then apply that to other genres...