Degrees of dissonance

[graculus]

In the six or seven years I've been in fandom, I've read widely in a number of fandoms. I'm wondering if my tolerance levels are the same as they were, or whether it changes as new fandoms gain my interest, or is dependent on the fandom itself.

I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter fic recently. Some of it is excellent and some of it can only be described as god-awful. In essence, no better and no worse than any other fandom, as far as I can see. But where it differs in one respect is the couple of fics I've given up on early on because they just don't work - there's some fundamental flaw to the story premise that is only evident to me because I have a knowledge of the law and mores of the culture the stories are based in (not the wizarding world, of course, but mid-90's England).

So, I was wondering about this - I know there are people reading this entry that read in an equally wide variety of fandoms, or focus intently on one to the exclusion of all others, people with a wide variety of life experiences and areas of expertise. Can you get past a glaring error in something you have knowledge of and move on to read the rest of the story? Are you someone who, once they've started reading something, have to finish it? Or is it dependent on the quality of the tale, that if it's good enough then you can ignore something you know to be incorrect?

Inquiring minds and all that...

Comments

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Glaring errors can stop me reading, especially if they're central to the plot. Errors that throw me in an otherwise good story may inspire me to ask the author what they were thinking, when I give feedback.

But I don't feel obliged to finish reading anything. Except when it's short and I'm reading it as a favour for someone, like the beta-from-hell one of my friends was lumbered with. I read it all the way through just to prove that she was being a lot less harsh on the author than I would have been.

Gina

[graculus.livejournal.com]

The story that most recently had this effect on me had what appeared to be a casual lack of interest in the accuracy of how it would be possible for this particular character to have this particular situation come about. Perhaps it was a case of the plot device being too blatant for me to suspend my disbelief?

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

But story research is fun... Gina

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, this is not a universally-held opinion... ;)