subtext in fantexts

[hope]

I think it's one of the potential drawbacks of slash that its very existence to an extent denies the possibility of homoerotic subtext in gen stories.

And yeah, okay, I know all you SPN readers out there will be "wtf! in gen stories they sleep in the same bed and give each other baths ALL THE TIME!" but, okay - frequently I also notice stories posted with notes like "subtexty wincest" or "pre-slash" or "you can read this as slash if you want" or "hints of slash".

In other words. SUBTEXT. Slash's existence potentially excises homoerotic subtext from non-slash stories: because as soon as there's subtext, frequently authors feel they have to re-classify. Which means a whole lot of things, most on the side of the audience reception to the story.

More than a few of the gen stories I really, really love - in this fandom and other fandoms - have strong subtext. That is just subtext. Juicy, homoerotic subtext. Which is satisfying in its own right; something completely other than slash. If I'm looking for slash to read, I won't be satisfied by something that's just subtext. And if I'm reading a gen story about a same-sex partnership, I'd be disappointed - even unsatisfied - if it was strikingly lacking in subtext.

Interestingly problematic division there, I reckon.

Interesting in terms of SPN specifically too; the text itself has such a strong subtext and text of emotional and physical intimacy; a queer reading of it is quite easy. It's fascinating watching people classify their stories as slash or non-slash when they re-create or even emphasise just a little the intimacy that occurs on the show itself.

Comments

[nebulein.livejournal.com]

labels can indeed be a real problem. i'm never sure whether i should label a "harmless" story as slash, because when i wrote it i had a slashy backstory for my characters in mind and thus see my story as an excerpt from their lives in which they do fuck at some point, or if i should label it as gen, because in the actual story there's no actual slash as in man-on-man action. sometimes i think a comprehensive or well-worded summary may convey a lot more of what the story is about than listing only a quick pairing and rating.

in the context of naming pairings: for me, if character A is madly in love with character B, without B ever returning or even knowing about the feelings of A, i'll label my fic A/B with sometimes an additional comment that the love is one-sided.

labels can be a good way of quickly getting an idea of what a story is about, but i think it's sad they've come to replace good summaries, which i usually favor, especially in long stories. (granted, a summary for a 700 words story often feels a bit superfluous. however, if i'm in for a ten thousand word epic, i'd like to know at least the premise of the fic.)

[dorrie6.livejournal.com]

I think slash fandom can be pretty tricky because there seem to be so many different ideas about what constitutes slash. Summaries can be tricky too, or maybe I just think that because I'm no good at writing them. :)