[issybird]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

Fan fiction was a poor choice of phrase, I was going to edit that, but totally forgot.

You took my opinion way harsher than I intended, but my basic opinion doesn't change. Everyone has book topics they don't care for...it's not something I've dug my heels in over. Your reaction is way over the top in my opinion.

I've read some reviews of the book in question, as well as background on the author and the book itself. It doesn't interest me. That should be ok and need no strong defense. There are many books with high marks from reviews etc that I didn't like or don't care to read. I can't be unusual in that.

Gone With the Wind, Little Women, are two that spring to mind.

I do take small issue with being so trounced upon for sharing an opinion.

Opinions should be defensible and open to discussion, and I am enjoying the discussion, even if it's just me.

The issue was the use of the disparaging term "fan-fiction" to apply to a highly-regarded book in particular, and by extension to any derivative fiction. As I said, that pretty much blows the Western canon out of the water and it's especially hard on marginalized groups who might want to apply shared myths to reflect their own reality.

There was also an element that Rhys could have had nothing interesting to say about Jane Eyre and if you extend that, then no one could. Are you so very sure you have the one "correct" interpretation of the book and of Rochester, the gospel according to Charlotte Brontë as it were? I do agree that one's first experience of a book should be between just you and the author, but after that, I don't see why you wouldn't be interested in other takes on it. It could expand your appreciation, your understanding, your enjoyment. Maybe it wouldn't, or maybe you'd be wrong at that, but you'll only know if you're willing to examine it. I think this is especially important in a book you're going to read and reread, and over years if not decades. Why codify your original understanding as the only possible one?

I couldn't know that you'd thought better of "fan-fiction," and that was my springboard. It was derogatory to both Wide Sargasso Sea and by implication to any book that employed myths and legends common to our culture. And then you backed that up by implying that you could interpret correctly Charlotte Brontë's intent, or at least that such a thing could be determined and determined for all time; moreover, that that was the only important thing, which seems very limiting to great literature. I disagree strongly with all of this. Obviously!

No one is going to read everything or can be expected to like everything. But you were painting with a really broad brush when specifics might have served you better.