The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Fan Fiction

Having a bookworm child is an excellent thing. Kids who grow up reading a lot tend to have better language and communication skills. They have a better vocabulary. They’re more creative and can develop their empathy and cognitive functions faster.

Of course, whether they can enjoy these benefits depends mainly on what your child reads.

Over the past few years, fan fiction works have become incredibly popular. Your child can enjoy reading anything from Harry Potter to Ben 10 fan fiction or historical fan fiction.

But what is fan fiction, and should you be concerned about your child reading it? Let’s find out.

Table of Content

Part 1: What Is Fan Fiction?

So, what is the fan fiction definition? It’s all in the name – fan fiction is a piece of writing created by a fan of a particular book, TV show, movie, or other story. It’s a fictional narrative based on an existing story that allows fans to add new elements to it, new characters, circumstances, and more. Many fans will even create fan fiction works to create a (in their mind) better ending to a story they loved.

Harry Potter fan fiction is particularly popular, with many referring to the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” as just another fan fic. The “Fifty Shades of Grey” books are another example, with the author E. L. James drawing inspiration from the “Twilight” novels.

While there are several famous works of fan fiction, most fan fic stories don’t become quite as popular in the mainstream media as “Harry Potter” and “Fifty Shades”.

Part 2: History of Fan Fiction

At first glance, it seems as though fan fiction is a recent invention. After all, the expression itself seems to have popped up in our vocabularies only a couple of years ago.

However, a quick glance at the fan fiction archive will paint quite a different story.

The term “fan fiction”, for instance, was first recorded as far back as 1939. The work that can be labeled as such is even older.

“A New Alice in the Old Wonderland” by Anna M. Richards, a fan fic work based on “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” was published in 1895. Many even argue that some of Shakespeare’s works are fan fiction. Even Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” is no exception, as he essentially writes fan fiction of himself meeting some of his favorite poets and role models.

So, while it seems new, fan fiction is almost as old as literature itself.

Part 3：Types of Fan Fiction

Depending on how it’s written, fan fiction can take many shapes and forms. The following are just some of the types you or your child will come across on fan fiction websites.

Slash Fan Fiction

Slash fan fiction is perhaps the most prevalent, as it involves creating a romantic relationship between two characters who weren’t romantically involved in the original work. A famous example would include fans writing about Hermione and Harry from “Harry Potter” ending up together instead of Hermione and Ron.

Alternate Universe Fan Fiction

Alternate universe fan fiction involves placing characters in a completely different setting or environment. You could have stories where the characters from “Lord of the Rings”, for example, have to take regular jobs in the real world, or students from “Harry Potter” have to attend a traditional school.

Fan Fiction With New Characters

As the name suggests, fan fiction with new characters involves creating stories close to the original ones but with new people in them. The most popular way of introducing new characters is self-insertion (like Dante’s “The Divine Comedy”).

Crossover Fan Fiction

Crossover fan fiction is somewhat similar to an alternate universe, but it’s about merging two different fictional works together. That’s how you get stories where Marvel and DC superheroes have to fight one another, or characters from “Star Wars” get to interact with those from “Star Trek”.

Fanon Fan Fiction

Fanon introduces ideas about the characters (or the whole fictional world) that haven’t been clearly defined in the original work but are accepted as true, or “canon”, by the fans.

Most commonly, fan-made ideas are regarding a character’s belief system, for instance, or their sexual orientation. Even though the original author might not have mentioned whether a character is Jewish, for example, the fans might have accepted them as such.

Part 4: Why Kids Love Fan Fiction

There are many reasons why kids and adults alike enjoy fan fiction. Primarily, it’s because it allows them to experiment with their favorite stories, creating unique settings and circumstances that give the characters more depth.

It also allows them to fill in any gaps left by the original creator – resolving unresolved conflict, creating a more suitable ending, or just creating a happier one.

With fan fiction, fans can insert themselves into their favorite stories, build creative new worlds, and express themselves better. Most importantly, they can connect with like-minded individuals and become part of larger communities.

Part 5: Fan Fiction Websites and Potentially Malicious Stories

There are countless fan fiction websites that your children can visit and explore. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Archive of Our Own;
• Tumblr;
• Reddit;
• Commaful;
• FanFiction.

There are many great sites where you and your kids can enjoy unique fan-written work. However, not all of them are child-friendly.

The problem is that it’s not just a single, distinct fan fiction website that could be inappropriate for children. Most sites contain both children’s and adult stories and fan fiction, making it difficult to filter out what’s okay for your child to read and what’s not.

Part 6: How To Make Sure Your Kids Enjoy Positive Fan Fiction

Reading fan fiction can benefit your child in many ways, but you must keep an eye on what they read.

That doesn’t mean restricting access to popular fan fiction websites, but rather monitoring their activity.

The simplest way to do it is with FamiSafe-Parental Control App.

As a parental control app, it offers several useful features. It can limit your children’s screen time, tell your their location, and notify you about their online activity. It can also block inappropriate and explicit content they might come across on fan fiction websites.

Conclusion

Reading fan fiction is an excellent way for a child to improve their cognitive development, build their language and communication skills, and connect with a larger community of like-minded kids. However, it can also expose them to harmful content.

To stay on the safe side and ensure they only access age-appropriate fan fiction, it’s in your best interest to use parental control apps like FamiSafe. It will allow them to enjoy their favorite fan fiction without getting exposed to malicious stories.