Fanwork
| Synonyms: | Transformative Works |
| See also: | fanac, fan, fandom, fanon, canon, food |
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A fanwork is a creative work produced by one or more fans, generally intended for other fans. A common defining phrase used in fandom is "by fans for fans,"[1] or something similar,[2] though this definition might incorporate other fan activity as well. Wikipedia defines a creative work as "a manifestation of creative effort such as artwork, literature, music, and paintings."[3]
In fanworks, some element of a canon work -- the source text or event -- is taken and incorporated into a new creative piece. The taken element can be the characters, world setting, plot, stories, still images, video clips, or something else from the source. Examples of creative pieces are limitless and include: a short story, a novel, a zine, a poem, a painting, a doll, a song, a video, or some work that combines these media.
Types of Fanworks
- Written:
- Bookmarks
- Cookbooks
- Fanfiction
- Fanpoetry
- Filk - written music and/or song lyrics.
- Meta - discussion or analysis of canon, fandom, fanworks, etc.
- Rec lists and Themed lists and Reviews of fanworks intended for other fans
- Fan Translation
- Glossaries, encylopedias, dictionaries and other information resources
- Visual:
- Fanart
- Fancomics
- Graphics
- Textiles
- Cosplay
- Model Building
- Other types of Fancraft
- Video:
- Vids aka Fanvids - music videos, mashups, fic trailers, etc.
- Anime Music Videos aka AMVs - music videos based on anime sources.
- Machinima - short CGI-rendered films.
- Fan Documentaries
- Fan Films
- Fangame
- Modding
- Audio:
- Print:
- Multimedia
- Websites:
They Said It Best
[A space for clever or amusing descriptions of fanworks, or interesting ways of thinking about transformational works; the sort of thing that isn't a serious definition, but is far too good not to preserve.]
Meaning of the Chinese word hè: join in singing; write a poem in the style / theme of someone else; compose a poem in reply.[4]
Sometimes fanfic is a love letter to canon; sometimes it's a polite disagreement; sometimes it's 95 things canon did wrong nailed to a door.[5]
See also:
- Different Types of Fanfiction for visual definitions comparing various types of fic to canon.
- Muktokathan, A Bangladeshi Literary Magazine.
References
- ^ Google turns up 10,600,000 hits for this phrase. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Google turns up 96,800 hits for the phrase "by fans for other fans". Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Creative_work, Wikipedia page. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Shut the fat fully" on Language Log by Victor Mair, 15 April 2012.
- ^ Tweet by Cass Morris (@CassRMorris), 17 January 2021.