Lecture: Modern fan fiction at MAGICCON in Bonn

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MagicCon 5 | Vortrag | Moderne Fanfiction | Andreas Zeilinger

In fantasy and science fiction fandoms, fanfiction is a widespread but controversial phenomenon. Some authors and many fans find fanfictions annoying, for example because of copyright infringement or because they reject such stories as “sacrilege”. Other fans do not reject fanfictions in principle, but are annoyed (usually rightly) by the low quality of many stories or by content that does not match the original work.

On the other hand, it is pointed out that besides the mass of irrelevant and inferior fanfictions, there are definitely well-written stories worth reading, which are positively received by fans and can be an enrichment of the fandom. This lecture offers a brief overview of the history of modern fanfiction and discusses the opinions of J.R.R. Tolkien, Joanne K. Rowling, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Diana Gabaldon, and George R.R. Martin, among others, on the subject of fanfiction. Typical quality problems of fanfiction are also addressed.

Lecturer: Andreas Zeilinger

Duration: 60 min - The Lecture will be held in: german

Andreas Zeilinger, born in 1971, studied business administration, works as a salaried tax consultant in Nuremberg and lives in his native city of Fürth. Since his childhood he has been enthusiastic about fantastic literature. He is a long-standing member of the German Tolkien Society and spokesman for the Tolkien Stammtisch Franken.

At conventions, Tolkien Days and other events he regularly gives talks around the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, currently also with crossover comparisons of aspects from Tolkien's world with "The Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin. He is especially interested in the people of the West, the Númenorians and their descendants in Gondor and Arnor, therefore he is also a member of the garb group "Dúnedain Germany".