Mary Sue

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A Mary Sue is an idealized and supposedly perfect fictional character . This figure is often perceived as the author's wishful thinking. Usually she can cope with tasks much more easily than comparable characters with similar training and experience. The term is often used for both genders, but the male variants Marty Sue and Gary Stu also exist at the same time .

origin

The term Mary Sue comes from Paula Smith 's short story A Trekkie's Tale , a parody of Star Trek fan fiction stories published in Menagerie # 2 magazine in 1973 . Semi-Vulcan Lieutenant Mary Sue is Kirk, Spock and Dr. Superior to McCoy in every way. She saves the lives of all three and eventually dies in tragic circumstances. In 1976, Menagerie's editors were hostile to such characters:

“ Mary Sue stories — the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Usually characterized by unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. This character can also be found burrowing her way into the good graces / heart / mind of one of the Big Three [ Kirk , Spock , and McCoy ], if not all three at once. She saves the day by her wit and ability, and, if we are lucky, has the good grace to die at the end, being grieved by the entire ship. ”

Nowadays, the term is firmly linked to the assumption that the author has a beautiful self-projection. A negative aftertaste arises from the fact that the fictional characters are perceived as poorly developed characters (too perfect to appear real and interesting).

criticism

The author Camille Bacon-Smith fears that the fear of creating a Mary Sue could limit or even deter many writers.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Segall: Career Building Through Fan Fiction Writing: New Work Based on Favorite Fiction  (= Digital Career Building). Rosen Publishing Group , 2008, ISBN 1-4042-1356-2 , p. 26.
  2. ↑ Byrd, Patricia: Star Trek Lives: Trekker Slang . In: American Speech . 53, No. 1, Spring 1978, pp. 52-58. doi : 10.2307 / 455340 .
  3. ↑ Milhorn: Writing Genre Fiction: A Guide to the Cr . Lightning Source Incorporated, 2006, ISBN 1-58112-918-1 , p. 55.
  4. ↑ Camille Bacon-Smith, Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth . University of Pennsylvania Press , December 1, 1991.