Ewan Morrison wrote this the other day about fanfic (which is what 50 Shades is).
My view on fanfic? Creating a convincing character is one of the hardest parts of writing a novel. You think it's a 'homage' to use someone else's character*? That makes you both lazy and a thief.And I prefer that you keep your masturbatory fantasies to yourself.
*I feel that there are probably exceptions to this where the character is not the main one and it is being used creatively. Jasper fforde for example. Can anyone think of anything else?
Wide Sargasso Sea leaps to my mind. Jean Rhys: It's about Bertha Mason from Jane Eyre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Sargasso_Sea
ReplyDeleteRosencranz and Guildernstern are Dead (I think I mispelled that).
ReplyDeleteBoth great examples but also both fairly peripheral characters from the original. How about a worthwhile use of a main character? Jasper fforde uses Miss Havisham but she's not the main character in his work.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I did enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. On the other hand there is Death Comes to Pemberley which I actually thought was awful and a shocking misuse of Lizzie, turned into someone who does nothing but simper on the sidelines.