Sparkhouse
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sparkhouse |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Sally Wainwright |
| Date(s): | 2002 |
| Medium: | television |
| Country of Origin: | Britain |
| External Links: | bbc |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sparkhouse is a three-episode BBC television drama, first broadcast in 2002, which is a loose modern retelling of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, in which the Heathcliff character is female. It gained a small fannish following especially after Richard Armitage, who plays a subsidiary role, came to prominence with North and South in 2004.
In Canon
Abused by her father and abandoned by Andrew Lawton, the love of her life, Carol Bolton turns for help for herself and her daughter Lisa to her father's farmhand, the gawky and shy John Standring. Luckily he is played by Armitage, and the ugly duckling proves to be Prince Charming.
Armitage describes his character as completely inexperienced with women and incredibly nervous about any kind of sexual contact.[1] The drama plays with gender-inverted cliches; for example, John gets a makeover which makes him suddenly attractive.
Fannish Reaction
AgzyM describes Sparkhouse as thought-provoking, very dark and emotional.[2] Annette calls the drama passionate and fiery, and writes that after John Thornton, it's one of [Armitage's] most appealing and popular characters.[3] Carol gets a more mixed reception; some fans dislike her, others defend her.[2][4]
In Fandom
Most fan activity in Sparkhouse is by Armitage fans who also create in one or more of his other fandoms (most commonly North and South and Robin Hood).
Discussion
The main discussion forum is at the members-only C19 forum. Meta and discussion often focus on John's character, for example questioning why he marries Carol, and whether he is really a good man.[2][4]
- Let's discuss Sparkhouse! Discussion from group rewatch in June 2011.
Fanfiction
There is a small amount of fanfiction (around 20 stories as of May 2013) archived on Archive of Our Own, C19, Chomikuj.pl, Fanfiction.Net, livejournal and Wattpad. Most fanfiction dumps the tragic romance between Carol & Andrew to concentrate on John. The great majority of fanfiction is het. Servetus writes One reason I love Sparkhouse fanfic is that it is almost inevitably sexual initiation fic.[5] From the writer's perspective, Khandy states I ... wanted to explore the issue of a man aged thirty being sexually inexperi[e]nced: it certainly goes against the ster[e]otype of a man knowing what he is doing.[6] Amanda Jane explains As an author, I was haunted by that wedding night scene in Sparkhouse.[7]
The two main fanfiction scenarios are:
- Post-series stories about the relationship between John and Carol (and Lisa), focusing on Carol's emotional healing and John's sexual growth. An example is No More Ghosts by womblingfree1. Servetus describes this story: Author takes the harder path in a Sparkhouse fic of keeping Carol alive and rehabilitating the John – Carol relationship. Sparkhouse fics in which Carol survives and ends up being a positive character are hard to write (the Carol character was burdened with so much baggage it's sort of hard to see why she didn't end up institutionalized before the events of episode 3), and this one is sweet, well done and credible.[5]
- John/OFC stories in which Carol dies or leaves; often John ends up looking after her daughter, Lisa. Perhaps the most common type of story. Examples include Return to Sparkhouse by Cat Winchester (beautifully sweet according to Servetus[5]) and In the Bleak Mid Winter by Khandy.
Both are popular and OFCs are generally accepted by readers. Jasrangoon writes I'm honestly not sure which path I prefer. There is something nice about the idea that Carol can be redeemed–that she and John can have a truly happy life together. But that doesn't seem likely to me. I know these are fictional characters, but the stories where Carol kills herself and John meets someone new ring much more true to me.[4] Heather comments Overall I think I prefer the stories where Carol is alive and she and John are happy together. I was raised on Disney as a kid, I love my happy endings. On the other hand John with someone truly deserving also makes me happy.[4]
Another less common scenario is an AU in which Carol and John get together earlier, with Carol less emotionally scarred. An example is Sparkhouse Revisited by Anne-Marie (wonderful writes Amanda Jane).[7]
Fanfiction occasionally features same actor crossovers with other fandoms featuring Armitage. For example, in Reflections of a Different Life by Redlyn, Lisa dreams of being Meg with Guy of Gisborne from Robin Hood; as well as the Armitage link, the older Lisa and Meg are both played by Holliday Grainger.
Fanvids
Several fanvids have been created, which tend to focus on John and his relationship with Carol. Vidders include Delicateblossom, Elvira Sweeney, Jancis, Spikesbint (Angelfish69) and Tittletattle.
Archives
References
- ^ BBC Press Office: Sparkhouse (accessed 23 May 2013)
- ^ a b c I want to be a Pin Up: Gothic Sparkhouse (accessed 23 May 2013)
- ^ RichardArmitageOnline: Sparkhouse (accessed 23 May 2013)
- ^ a b c d memythoughtsandwhoknows: John Standring, oh how I wanted to knock some sense into you! (accessed 23 May 2013)
- ^ a b c me + richard armitage: Fics I enjoyed this week (accessed 22 May 2013)
- ^ flyhigh-by-learnonline: Kate Forrester, weathering the storm and continuing the story of Sparkhouse. Interview + giveaway (accessed 23 May 2013)
- ^ a b me + richard armitage: Fan showcase: Amanda Jane (accessed 24 May 2013)