From the SelectedWorks of Raizel Liebler
2006
Me, myself, and I: Fan fiction and the art of self- insertion Keidra Chaney Raizel Liebler
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/raizelliebler/14/ m myself & i
By Keidra Chaney and Raizel Li ebler • ILlustration by Jesse Lefkowitz
lt's a secret rite of passage for many girls, Writers and readers of fan fiction know her as Mary Sue, and she's one of the most loathed entities in fan rulture. An original particularly those who are aspiring authors: female character displaying unrealistically positive characteris penning imaginative, often unspeakably bad tics, Mary Sue is the enviable alter ego-part supermodel, part fiction starring unrealistically perfect heroines. rocket scientist-of the writer who can't help but insinuate her fantasy self into the lives of existing characters. You don't have to You know the type-if you haven't written her, look far to find Mary Sue-she's all over fandom. Even a casual you've read about her: the brave and beautiful search of fanfic published on the intemet will reveal a multitude of attractive, headstrong but feminine characters with "creamy princess/ ballerina/ cowgirl who slays white skin," "curly jet-black ringlets," and "bright-blue eyes that dragons/ becomes president/marries a movie reflect the moonlight." She's Buffy's beautiful, whip-smart star. Sometimes she has her own story to tell, cousin who's a Slayer and a grad student in biophysics-that is, when she's not fronting her own rock band. She's the spunky, but frequently she worms her way into existing headstrong sister/daughter/girlfriend of Harry Potter or Lord of tales. She tends to bear an uncanny the Rings' Legolas, the only one who can single handedly save Hogwarts/Middle earth from destruction- and she does so while resemblance to her creator - ..,)t\lL Y boasting fabulous clothes and hair. s;~RO~'JIGF.R" Vt!~ir!ER- Stt;UER,. You can find an equal number of websites devoted to identifying, FR!!i!f~DUE~l ~U ~D '~·~f!l'niOU'I" critiquing, and openly mocking Mary Sue and her creators, along with a variety of definitions-sometimes contradictory-of what Tt-ME GLASS~$ JU~!O GJ\D Sf·UI~l constitutes a Mary Sue. The Mary Sue Society Avatar Appreciation Website (wwwsubreality.comfmarysue.htrn), for instance, which is dedicated to both celebrating and poking gentle fun at Mary Sue, describes her as "any original or deeply altered character who rep resents a slice of hisfher creator's own ego; sfhe is treasured by hisfher creator but only rarely by anyone else. More negatively, a Mary Sue is a prima donna (usually but not always badly written) who saps life and realism out of every other character around, tak ing over the plot... to serve hisfher selfish purposes."
52 bitch ISSUE NO. 31 Certainly, not all examples of self-insertion in fiction of the Rings to HBO prison series Oz-feature male are so idealized, and not every exceptionally pretty, characters running the show. smart, and prominently featured female fanfic character Some writers champion Mary Sue without shame, is a refection of the author's ego. And although Mary defending the tropeas a way for fanficwriters-and fiction Sue is a creation of contemporary fan culture, echoes of writers in general-to include their own most positive her are found across the centuries and across mass traits in the story, making themselves a major character, if media, wherever idealized female characters and thinly not the true star of the show. It's equal parts ego-tripping disguised author avatars pop up-but we're getting and wish fulfillment: After all, what fiction writer doesn't ahead of ourselves. secretly yearn to see him or herself as the center of the What commonly definesa Mary Sue is not simply the action? But it's also part and parcel of the writing process appearance of positive characteristics, but rather the for many authors, particularly novices. exaggeration of those traits to an unattainable ideal: Where exactly did Mary Sue-or at least her official She's not just smart, kind, quirky, or pretty, she's name-come from? As with so many other trends in fan smarter, nicer, quirkier, and prettier than any other culture, in the beginning there was Star Trek. Though the female around-and her creator will allow no one to for future as defined by the early incarnations of Star Trek get it. Mary Sues always display some unique ability-a was racially diverse, its gender outlook was less progres latent magical power, exceptional intelligence, or tech sive: Female characters tended to be either alien love nical acumen-that is required at a pivotal point in the interests for Captain Kirk, or support staff like narrative. Often appearing on the scene carrying some Lieutenant Uhura (whose portrayer, Nichelle Nichols, deep, dark secret-she's an unknown relative, say, or described the character as a "glorified switchboard oper long-lost lover of another established character-she is ator"). The desire for more involved female characters intricately tied in some way to the major plot and char led many fans to write their own Star Trek stories, posit acters of the story. ing that if they were on the bridge of the Enterprise, Mary Sue often performs a technical service to her cre things would have turned out differently. Many of these ator as well, acting as a deus ex machina or a chameleon early fanfics attempted to condense all of the female esque character actor able to play any role required of attributes they wanted to see on the show into one her. She's the glue that holds a story together, comment female character, and Mary Sue was born. ing on perceived flaws in a plan, uniting lovelorn char acters who "belong together," transforming a villainous K 1 character into a virtuous one by the power of her love, E�'t,mit ,;,111c:llibll[� IT'YfP1E i�tPtmsrtE�n� m1�1 fJl��i llif':;' Hf""'!]"P.!l'"i.l!fi\.ffl '=r'!i:� Ji"1 �
54 bitch ISSUE NO. 31 use of proto-Mary Sues as far back as the 19th century, historical ideal of the perfect heroine has evolved and describing these creations as persisted over time-despite the fact that multifaceted female characters exist. Mary Sue is the modem version ·supergirls: multitalented females who have everything, do of the pretty princess who can do no wrong. everything, and outshine everyone ... : The Mary Sues who die While Mary Sue is a fanfic archetype, the term has in the 2.oth century are anything but pure and fragile, but their begun to make a jump from describing only fun-created plot pattern draws from this image of 19th century perfection. characters to describing original female characters as they [They) are an inspiration to the (other) characters... , an image of appear in other forms of mass medir-though the use of nobility and beauty that can become an icon of perfection. the term "Mary Sue" in these contexts further complicates its multiple and conflicted definitions within fun culture. Much like today's maligned Mary Sue of fanfic, Film and TV abound with impossibly beautiful and smart idealized heroines have historically been viewed deri females; however, not all can be classified as Mary Sues, sively, even by female critics. In her 1856 essay, "Silly considering that most female characters are shoehomed Novels by Lady Novelists," the (lady) novelist George into a narrow definition of femininity. Those who are Eliot describes a literary prototype of Mary Sue, who given the label by critical fans are usually characterized by turns all men-whether they're primary or secondary a seemingly impenetrable wall of perfection, unyielding to characters-to mush: common sense and plot necessity-overwhelming other female characters' screen time, forcing the viewer to pay (Male characters exist to) accompany the heroine on her "starring" attention only to her. For example, Days of Our Lives' Dr. expedition through life. They see her at a ball, and are dazzled; at Marlena Evans, introduced in the 1970s as a traditional a flower show, and they are fasdnated; on a riding excursion, and soap-opera heroine, over time has developed Sue-like they are witched by her noble horsemanship; at church, and they traits. Despite cheating on her husband, indirectly causing are awed by the sweet solemnity of her demeanour. She is the her daughter's insanity, and becoming a serial killer ideal woman in feelings, faculties and flounces. (actions later waved away by explaining that the entire town was under hypnosis), Marlena is held up as an exem It's understandable that, once finally allowed to take plar of womanly beauty. intelligence, and strength by center stage, female writers choose to have their female other characters on the show. characters embody all of the "best" of womanliness. The On the WB drama SmaUville, Lana Lang is chock-full
A few of the many faces of Mary Sue of Mary Sue qualities. Earlier incarnations of the DC working-class woman [with] an affecting back story." Of Comics character position her as a teen love interest of course there isn't any room for any other potentially the boy who will become Superman, an antecedent to fawed female characters-Rose is everything a woman his eventual true love, Lois Lane. The TV series reenvi could be! sions Lana as a popular cheerleader frequently menaced And this is the basis of many fans' ire toward both fan by tertiary characters who have unusual powers and created Mary Sues and pop culture pseudo-Sues like Rose: who become obsessed with her. Despite her parents' By endowing one female with so many glowing attributes, tragic death, Lana is always friendly and cheerful, with it leaves little room for nuance when it comes to charac no shortage of admirers (to counterbalance all those terization. Mary Sue's perfection is often upheld at the nemeses). In later seasons, she is revealed to be the expense of other female characters, or leaves no room for descendent of Isabel, a witch burned at the stake in the them at all. This mirrors the very real pressure placed on Middle Ages, and is thereby blessed with mystical butt real-life women to be the prettiest, the smartest, the most kicking abilities. sexually desirable, the most traditionally feminine-or Though many Smallville fans love Lana, she is detested risk being supplanted or ignored. While not every positive by others, who attribute her deifcation to the male pro portrayal of a female character in pop culture fts into the ducer's own fxation with the actor who plays her. "Chloe Mary Sue archetype, this absolutism and flatness of [the girl reporter/best friend of teen Clark Kent] is a great nuance sharply leans a character in that direction. character-funny, interesting, and smart," posts one fan Mary Sue mirrors the pressure placed on real-life women to be the prettiest, the most sexually desirable, the most feminine. on a Smallville message board. "But the writers are con "" \?''! md''•'l\H'i Dff.'.".'..R:l .. 11Jtt!n:"' W"%Ci£1 " "' ,.,, 1�"'l"1'""• i'k 11111 IHHAlll:!,lii':'1"1'11(> tinually giving her the short end of the time stick while U lti,! �� !!ti:�\�;.i!J m "ill !ft' 1,II�� \;�{ffe i{"i,i g;���!J��::J; M!t� \�.;i·Jlil\J\\\M;;W U�;� Hf�.� 1 n f�ll (l) n 11 Lana gets all the attention. What exactly is the appeal of f�[J(�S'i SUPP,O�
56 bitch ISSUE NO. 31 strength, intelligence, charm, and adventurousness. it's because, important as Hermione is, she is still a [Fans] note that the sobriquet 'Mary Sue' may be a self lonely figure in the male-dominated realm of popular imposed sexism-she can't do that, she's a girl." fantasy/science-fiction literature. Pflieger points out that while there are multiple names for male Mary Sues, there's only one term for her female incarnation, implying that some wiggle room is 4\S AN EN'fRY IPOINl' •Nl"O fmC,, allowed for the idealized male, but not for Mary Sue, 'I'ION WRrrn~Gu i~iERf.! W\Y BE who will always be the idealized female archetype. She SOA~IE USE fOR MJ\RY SlU~ .. All bur- says, "Perhaps because male characters are expected to geoning writers are told to write what they know, and embody the ideals of perfection associated with the char who do we know better than ourselves? That girls (and acter, so the fact that they do isn't noteworthy; perhaps women) wish to rewrite themselves as the very best ver because the dearth of admirable female characters in the sion of who they are is not uncommon. But when such source material makes admirable original female char a narrow standard of "ideal" womanhood persists, and acters stand out all the more." when three-dimensional female characters already You would think, then, that as more and more com extant in mass media are morphed into Mary Suedom plex female characters appear in popular culture, the because they are not "good enough" as they are, Mary need for Mary Sue would wane. So why do many female Sue becomes more problematic. Rather than offering an fanfic writers continue to create Mary Sues? The obvious opportunity for self-identification, Mary Sue often rein answer is that there are still not enough female charac forces the impossible idea that women must strive for ters, and the ones we have are not as satisfactory-or as effortless perfection. perfect-as we'd like them to be. The archetype is so overused, and as a result so Take the case of"Herrnione Sue," so named by fans of detested in fandom, that any strong, assertive, attractive Harry Potter who have witnessed their brainy-witch hero female character in either fan culture or pop culture is ine morph into a gothy teen sexpot within fan fiction. at risk of being accused of being a Mary Sue. However, Series creator J.K Rowling has admitted in several inter a major difference between Mary Sues and realistic views that the character of Hermione Granger is "a female characters is that while Mary Sues are commonly loosely based caricature of what I was at rr. Brainy and defined by the characters around them, Anti-Sues, for outspoken, at that age, I was irritating. I stood out." On lack of a better term, are fully realized, independent cre her website, Rowling remarks, "I think I was seen by ations whose destiny, actions, and accomplishments are other people as a right little know-it-all, but I hope that it their own. is clear that underneath Hermione's swottiness there is a Mary Sue's popularity made more sense back before lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure." But in fanfic, pop culture narratives allowed strong, independent, and Hermione Sue often returns from a summer away from imperfect female characters to exist and be accepted Hogwarts with a brand-new look-her frizzy brown hair without being marginalized. But in a post-Xena, post usually straightened and dyed platinum blond or jet Buffy world, there's a little more room for multifaceted black-and a new personality ("outgoing, a party-lover, female characters (such as Veronica Mars, Lorelai and and very hot," as she is described in one fan story). Rory Gilrnore, and Grey's AIUitomy's Miranda Bailey and Sometimes Hermione Sue is even given a new family-a Cristina Yang), and the idea that a limited ideal must witch born to nonmagical parents in the books, her fan continue to exist for all female characters in popular cul fie alter ego has special abilities that are often explained ture should be ready for retirement. by a heretofore undiscovered magical lineage. Yet Mary Sue lives on. She may no longer be needed, Of the three main characters of the Harry Potter series, but that doesn't mean she's not wanted. As long as real only Herrnione is so routinely morphed into flawless life and popular culture conspire to dish out unrealistic ness. Perhaps because girls who read and write Potterfic standards to women and girls, and as long as it isn't already identify with Hermione, they feel motivated to enough to have characters who are smart and can kick re-create her as an unattainable ideal, similar to one they butt, but who also have to be Hollywood polished, Mary are pressured to be-not just a girl who is smart and Sue will always be written into the story, as conflicted loyal, but one who comes from a socially acceptable (or and contentious as our very ideas about women, perfec even socially superior) background, who is mature and tion, and power. sexually active (but only while "in love"), and who is tra Keidra Chaney is a freelance writer and edtor based in Chicago. Raizel ditionally beautiful and shops at Hot Topic. Or perhaps Liebler is a Chicago-based librarian.
ANNIVERSARY 2006 bitch 57