On authors as people

[tamaranth]

There is currently a discussion* about various authors' views on fanfiction. Like previous discussions (RaceFail springs to mind) this has led to some unpleasant comments and some ad hominem attacks. (Whatever happened to polite disagreement?)

If an author expresses views that I don't agree with -- or even views that I regard as morally wrong -- it does not mean that the author's works suddenly, retrospectively, lose their quality. ("I used to like X's books, but ...") It does not mean that the author's friends, co-authors, etc share those views. It means that the author is expressing personal views: and the author-as-person is not the same as the author-as-author.

Yes, people write from themselves, but not everything they believe or think or feel will be in their writing, and not everything in their writing will be what they believe or think or feel. (I was somewhat disturbed by one author's reaction to one of her characters being loathed: 'that's me you're talking about'. NO-NO-NO, it's a creation. It's something, someone, you imagined. The fact that I can write about a murderer doesn't make me a murderer. And if people loathe your villain, UR DOIN IT RITE.)

I think the internet makes it easier to be (or to be read as) rude, aggressive, mendacious, and threatening. And wrong. But it's not impossible to be civilised online.

edit to add: new icon

*I'm being polite

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[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

.. counting the time before I am mistaken for you! (or vice versa ...)