Big Name Fan

[vilakins]

In her post about the circular nature of fandom kerfuffles,veritykindle mentioned this article from 1954 about the conflict between BNFs (big name fans) and 'neofen'. I was amazed. I only learned the meaning of 'BNF' last year, and here's this ancient article about them, fen, fanzines, fandom--and even egoboo! I even wondered if it was faked, but veritykindle said that someone on another thread remembers that the author was well-known (a BNF in fact) back then.

The 'neofen' are now called 'newbies' but I'm still stunned. I know that Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Arthur Conan Doyle had large numbers of fans, some of whom even wrote fanfic (hell, Homer doubtless had them too), but I didn't know the terminology predated Star Trek: The Original Series which was when I'd thought Fandom As We Know It had started.

I suppose these 'fen' were fans (fanatical enthusiasts) of SF magazines like the ones I bought recently, rather than a particular TV or book series as we tend to be now. But still: 52 years ago!

Comments

[executrix.livejournal.com]

I think that a lot of the conventions of media fandom (including, well, conventions in the sense of "cons") come out of science fiction fandom, and a lot of Fandom As We Know It simply took over the folkways of scifi fandom--after all, most Trekkers were also fans of SF novels and magazines like Analog and Galaxy.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, that makes sense, but I had no idea that some of those terms were so old. I thought egoboo was fairly fresh-minted.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, print-SF fandom goes back quite a ways, and media fandom borrowed/inherited a lot of the culture and terminology from that, or such is my understanding. It is kind of amusing, though, to see how little things actually change. The technology may be different, but the obsessive checking of the inbox is precisely the same behavior whether it's physical or electronic. :) And, as I almost said to veritykindle before I decided it was too obvious to bother commenting with, human nature and the nature of human social interaction in general really doesn't change much, so I really don't find it too surprising that we're still having exactly the same kerfluffles 50+ years on.

(I do, however, kind of want to know what "hectoed" means. That appears to be a term that has fallen out of useage.)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that one's odd. I googled it and I think it's a printing method, but it's not mimeographing (whatever that is) because one article said that was better. Whatever it was, zines made that way fade.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

As vilakins says, it's a reproduction method (hectography). A mimeograph was a machine that used a big cylinder and special master pages that were purple on one side and white on the outside. I vividly remember typing a very long paper for a college class ON THE WRONG SIDE of the mimeo master--the one that didn't have the purple on the back.

The sort of junior high school student who in later years would become a stoner firmly believed that you could get high sniffing mimeographs.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I do, however, kind of want to know what "hectoed" means

I thought it refers to 'hectograph', which was a method of duplication using gelatine slabs. You can't make too many copies from one master so print runs were limited (if you weren't very good at it, maybe only 20 per master). I never used it myself, but remember the smelly purple smudged papers from my first few years in school. The teacher was always having to make up masters to get enough 'draw the chick developing inside the egg' coloring pages for the class.

Ah, here's a good article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectograph

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Of course, since I never saw it done, I can't be sure they weren't mimeos, but the article does specifically mention purple as being the most commonly used ink for hectoeing and I sure remember getting stuck with faded, blurred 'end of run' prints from time to time.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I looked up 'hecto' in the Wiki and didn't get very far. :-P A link from that article tells me that 'fanzine' was coined in 1940. And 'fan' dates back to 1889, short for a fanatic follower of baseball teams!

[veritykindle.livejournal.com]

human nature and the nature of human social interaction in general really doesn't change much, so I really don't find it too surprising that we're still having exactly the same kerfluffles 50+ years on.

Well, yes, of course I know that. *g* I just figure that since they *are* the same kerfuffles, and there are many documented cases of the *same* arguments being written over and over again, it might save some time and energy to just link whatever idiots bring up the same objections again back to the old answers, and tell them "Here. These are my answers. They haven't changed in *50+ years*. Now go argue over there, and *leave this fandom alone*!"

Of course, I doubt that would have any effect, but hey, one can hope, can't one? ;)

(In fact, it's sort of what I was trying to do with my post, but I guess it got out of hand. *g*)

And by the way (to change the subject completely *g*), congratulations on your well-deserved prizes. :)

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, of course I know that.

Like I said, it was too obvious to bother saying, really. Only, of course, I said it anyway, eventually, but, hey, I like to watch myself type. :)

it might save some time and energy to just link whatever idiots bring up the same objections again back to the old answers

I think we should just codify all the arguments with numbers and then we can just reduce the flamewars down to things like:

"17!"

"But 37!"

"46, 29 and 328!"

"6, you idiot!"

It'd make things go much smoother. :)

In fact, it's sort of what I was trying to do with my post, but I guess it got out of hand.

Sadly, I think the tendency to hash out the same arguments over and over is also part of human nature, so I doubt even such noble efforts will make the slightest bit of difference.

congratulations on your well-deserved prizes.

Oh, thanks! It suddenly occurs to me that my post possibly comes across as a bit own-horn-toot-y, which wasn't really the intent... Mostly I just wanted to point out that the results were up, and figured I'd mention my own results while I was at it, but, hey, I'll take the congrats. :)

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Coolness! Thanks for linking.

Now I'm imagining an Internet flamewar with old SF writers...

Robert E. Howard: My fic is teh best EVAR!!1 Conan the Cimmerian PWNZ J00!
H.P. Lovecraft: HAH! Cthulhu got more feedback on fanfiction.net! You just write yours for egoboo!
Jules Verne: STFU, n00bs! *defriends both*
Arthur Conan Doyle: Well done, old chap. Care for a drink?
Jules Verne: Don't mind if I do.

H.P. Lovecraft: ELITIST CONSPIRACY BITCHES!!1
Robert E. Howard: Right, this is SO going on fandom_wank! BNF tossers sux0rz!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

ROTFL!

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Heh. I read somewhere that Lovecraft belonged to an APA, which astonished me, as I hadn't realized fandom went back that far, let alone that Lovecraft was part of it. But apparently 'tis true.

(Now, let's see who here even knows what an APA even is... :))

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* I know what an APA is, if only because B7 fandom is so fucking obsessed with paper and the only Tarrant fan gathering thing is an APA...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ooh, ooh! Someone who belongs to a Blake one told me a couple of years ago. A group with their own newletter; I think the P stands for 'press'.

[labingi.livejournal.com]

Homer doubtless had them too...

Euripides, Vergil, Chaucer, Shakespeare...:-)

[veritykindle.livejournal.com]

Hee! You beat me to it!

As far as I am concerned, pretty much *all* those tragedy contests that the Athenians held during the Dionysia festival were official fanfic contests based almost entirely on Homer, but also on other popular myths. And if you think that the fanfic awards are politicized *now*... Well, they are *nothing* compared to the fanfic contests of the past. *g*

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Totally not surprised here. I was born and raised in fendom, and attended more cons before the age of 12 than most people I know IRL have in thier lives. My dad was in a green room at a worldcon. I've met Filthy Peirre. (There's a BNL you might not know - but damn he's cool.)

It amuses me on occasion how people frequently think of something that go on as "new" - fandom has changed, for sure, but we got roots, deep deep roots, and I'm proud to know mine.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

...I meant BNF, not BNL. Jeez, one track Canadian mind, much?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Filthy Pierre? Cool! Um, what's a BNL?

I'm the one and only fan in my whole, probably extended family. :-(

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

that's really interesting!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is! I thought most of those terms were fairly modern.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Ah, fandom in the pre-Internet days. I have to say I've also heard of the terms 'SMoF' (Secret Master of Fandom), 'GAFIATED' (Gone Away From It All) and 'FAFIATED' (Forced Away From It All). I'm not sure if they're genuine fen terms but think they're interesting none the less.

I'm sure fanfic has been going on since the year dot but the thought of Victorian-era people writing Jane Austen fanfic etc makes me chuckle...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've never heard those, but I like them.

Yes, I've read that people wrote Austen fanfic (what happened next stories) and so many wrote Sherlock Holmes as surviving the Reichenbach Falls (PGPs!) that Arthur Conan Doyle resurrected him.

[kerravonsen]

Oh yes, GAFIATED is definitely a real term; I GAFIATED myself in 1990, came back about eight months later.

I hadn't heard the term FAFIATED before, though.