Digital fiction and participatory culture: Spark CBC podcast - Text 1 Assingment 2

NMN Assignment 2 for:JessL
3 links stacked by hburridge | 1 views 


http://delicious.com/stacks/view/NgevO0

In this Spark podcast from CBC radio, host Nora Young (2007) speaks with three experts immersed in the world of remix culture, fan fiction and copyright.

The first interview is with Harry Potter fan fiction writer, George Norman Lippert. Lippert’s novel, James Potter and the Hall of Elders’ Crossing, gained international notoriety after an Australian newspaper printed an article asking if this was a secret novel by the original author, J. K. Rowling. The online buzz for this site grew so quickly that J. K. Rowling’s media representatives released a statement that it was not by J. K. Rowling.

What makes this interview unique is that Nora Young implies that production quality of this piece makes readers question its authenticity. Lippert works as a website designer and used his talents to produce a 21-chapter novel for his son to read when he’s old enough. Her question implies that fan fiction is of a less quality than the original and reveals the bias that many people have toward remixed art.


The second interview quickly tells the downside of user-generated content competing with the original publications. Denis McGrath, a television writer who says that fans often follow clues that the writers include in the story and create their own stories from them. When the fan sees the writers return to that tidbit they snuck in the first season, the fan accuses them of stealing their idea, which as McGrath says, is the worst thing you can say about a writer’s work. Again, user-generated content is considered to be less important than the work created by "professional" writers.

The third interview is with Daniel Gervais, a professor of intellectual property who describes the copyright rules surrounding remix culture. He says that copyright has only been important for most users in the last 15 years because of the ease for sending information to others.

Was Lippert’s fiction controversial because it was of a higher quality than others? In an amusing twist of fate, fans have contacted Lippert asking his permission to create fan versions of his James Potter series. His response: "it feels extremely weird, but I always tell them to go for it and have fun. It’s all about the story" (2008).

References

On eve of James Potter sequel, Harry Potter fan fiction heats up: Unlikely author poised to keep the story alive. (2008, July 15). PR Web. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1080574.htm

Young, N. (Host). (2007). Spark Episode 15 (Podcast). Toronto, Canada: CBC Radio. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2007/12/episode-15-december-12-15-2007/

NMN Assignment 2 for:JessL
3 links stacked by hburridge | 1 views 


http://delicious.com/stacks/view/NgevO0