Canon (fiction)
- This article is not about literary canons of influential works of fiction, but about the concept of a canon that defines the world of a particular fictional series or franchise.
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official", in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical. It is used in two slightly different meanings: first, "it refers to the overall set of storylines, premises, settings, and characters offered by the source media text".[1]:28 In this sense, canon is "the original work from which the fan fiction author borrows,"[2] or "the original media on which the fan fictions are based."[3] Secondly, it is used "as a descriptor of specific incidents, relationships, or story arcs that take place within the overall canon"; thus certain incidents or relationships may be described as being canon or not.[1]:32
The use of the word "canon" in reference to a set of texts derives from Biblical canon, the set of books regarded as scripture.[4] The term was first used in the context of fiction to refer to the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to distinguish those works from subsequent pastiches by other authors.[5][6] It has subsequently been applied to many media franchises. Among these are science fiction franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, in which many stories have been told in different media, some of which contradict or appear to contradict each other.[6]
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[edit] Canonicity
When there are multiple "official" works or original media, the question of what is and what is not canon can be unclear. This is resolved either by explicitly excluding certain media from the status of canon (as in the case of Star Trek), or by assigning different levels of canonicity to different media (as in the case of Star Wars), or not at all (as with Doctor Who).
The official Star Trek website describes Star Trek canon as "the events that take place within the live-action episodes and movies" (that is, the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the Star Trek motion pictures).[7] Events, characters and story lines from tie-in novels, video games and Star Trek: The Animated Series are explicitly excluded from Star Trek canon, but the site notes that elements from these sources have been subsequently introduced into the television series, and says that "canon is not something set in stone."[7] One example of a non-canon element that later became canon in the Star Trek universe was the name "Tiberius" becoming the official middle name of Enterprise captain James T. Kirk. The name was introduced in the Star Trek animated series, and was later added into the official biography of the character.
Star Wars canon exists on several levels. The highest level is the six Star Wars films and statements by George Lucas; tie-in fiction from the Expanded Universe has a different level of canonicity.[6] The complex system is maintained by Leland Chee, a Lucasfilm employee.[6]
At the other extreme, the makers of Doctor Who have generally avoided making any pronouncements about canonicity, with writers such as Paul Cornell explaining that no concept of canonicity exists for the Doctor Who TV series or its spin-offs.[8]
[edit] Fanon
Fan fiction is almost never regarded as canonical. However, certain ideas may become influential or widely accepted within fan communities, who refer to such ideas as "fanon," a portmanteau of fan and canon.[6][9] The term may also be used to refer to fan fiction in general.
[edit] See also
- Alternative universe (fan fiction)
- Continuity (fiction)
- Expanded Universe
- Fictional universe
- Parallel universe (fiction)
- Examples
[edit] References
- ^ a b Juli J. Parrish (2007), Inventing a Universe: Reading and writing Internet fan fiction.
- ^ Meredith McCardle, Fan Fiction, Fandom, and Fanfare: What's All the Fuss, p.3
- ^ Rebecca Black, Digital Design: English Language Learners and Reader Reviews in Online Fiction, in A New Literacies Sampler, p. 126
- ^ McDonald, Lee Martin (2007). The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission and Authority (Updated and revised 3rd ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-56563-925-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=r9FUWj_w9-YC&lpg=PP1&ots=2tn37wqRID&dq=Biblical%20canon&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ Peter Haining, "Introduction" in Doyle, Arthur Conan (1993). The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 156619198X. Edited by Peter Haining.
- ^ a b c d e Baker, Chris (18 August 2008). "Meet Leland Chee, the Star Wars Franchise Continuity Cop". Wired. http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-09/ff_starwarscanon?currentPage=all. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ a b "FAQ: Article". startrek.com. CBS Studios. 10 July 2003. http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/help/faqs/faq/676.html. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ Cornell, Paul (10 February 2007). "Canonicity in Doctor Who". PaulCornell.com. http://www.paulcornell.com/2007/02/canonicity-in-doctor-who.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ Parrish, p. 33:
“fanon.” Within an individual fandom, certain plotlines may be reinvented so many times and by so many people—or alternately may be written so persuasively by a few writers—that they take on the status of fan-produced canon.
