In a recent post that started a thread about "old" stories and authors now gone from the E! fandom, Carol D wrote the line:
*I've taken to re-reading many of the classic stories from different site archives.*
Classic is a term that's used a bit, and one that I always think of as something set apart/well above the rest. I just wondered what "makes" a story a classic? (Not so much in the eyes of an individual reader, as in the eyes of the fandom as a whole.)
It must be something more than a well-written story that's been around a while -- there are plenty of those, but surely they're not all deemed "classics"?
Movies, TV shows, plays, novels, etc. earn the tag by generating revenue, public reviews, and awards. Longevity (of the original) isn't always a factor, i.e. Star Trek. I hear some fandoms (not individual sites, but whole fandoms) actually do give annual awards to stories and writers and sites, but I can't imagine that happening in the world of E! fic.
So, who and what deems a fan fiction story a classic in our universe?
It has to be exceptionally well written. Also, the characters are behaving in a way that sticks to how they were written for the show. I also, find many of the ones (classics) I find myself drawn to again and again involve just about all the characters from the show.
Maybe that's a better judge of a classic-stories we read over and over. Much like how we watch the show over and over.
A classic for me is STARQUILT. So, much angst and love. Bring out the kleenex.
I also like the funnies--A Lesson to be Taught -Where an old girlfriend of Johnny's helps him get one over on Chet.
There are many more I go to when I need a fic fix.
Nan, you ask a very good question. Perhaps I toss out that word "classic" too freely.
To me, a classic is a story that comes up time and again with readers. A story that, if you mention the title, most fans will instantly know what you're talking about. Or, if you mention one aspect of the plot, it's easily recognizable. They are also usually the stories I read when I first discovered the fandom, so they were my introduction to E! fic and hold a special place in my experience.
Of course, they should be well written, with true characterizations. Stories that stay true to the original idea of Emergency but expand that universe in a way we all would if it were up to us to expand on those shows we loved so much! Have you ever watched an episode and thought "I wish they would have delved into that more"? Of course they were under time constraints. No such constraints in fan fic!
I'd guess that a qualifier for a classic would have to be a story that's very well written. That's a fairly objective criteria.
True to characterization? We all watched the same show (though sometimes you gotta wonder about that) but different people do see different things in the characters, and interpret them in their own way. Some writers think Johnny was abused as a child, and often interpret his actions, and therefore their stories, based on that. They see it in his character, I don't. My stories will even refute that. So, which of us is really "true" to the John Gage character you saw? It becomes much more subjective now.
We all have reasons for having personal favorites -- types of storylines, certain authors, specific stories -- but personal favorites are not the same as fandom classics.
I also look at many of the older stories as "vintage" -- stories that age well and bring kind of a mellow nostalgia to mind. As Carol said, the ones we read when we first came upon the fandom always hold a special place in our hearts, but does that really put them in the classic category?
If you had one story -- just one -- that you think is a true classic, I'd love to know what it is and exactly what makes it so, in your opinion.