From: Bizarro7@aol.com
I tend to go for Jenkins' theory, that fandom arises out of the tension
generated by an attraction to certain elements of a series and a
repulsion
from others. Fannishness is generated by a desire to reconcile these opposing forces.<
Um....that's exactly what was meant by my use of the metaphor 'chemistry', which involves molecules--which both attract and repulse. For example, the 'catch' for me in HIGHLANDER has not only been the relationships of attraction, but the one of repulsion between Cassandra and Methos.
We might be talking at cross-purposes here. The forces of attraction and repulsion that I was blithering on are not those between characters in the show, but between the viewer and the show itself. For instance, I am attracted to B7 by the setting and general ethos and (yes) the characters, but repelled by the cheap sets and costumes and special effects. Pulled one way, pushed the other, I find myself caught in the middle and thus have to resolve the tension by seizing control of B7 and turning it into the series I think it should have been.
Of course, a viewer might be attracted by some on-screen relationships that work in the way s/he appreciates, but repelled by others that are considered mishandled, and this too would generate the tension that generates fannishness.
I wouldn't say this was true for all fans of all shows, though.
Most people are wired for both left and right, with one side having a
slight
edge over the other.<
Edge = Mileage. We are agreeing, Neil. Those 'slight' differences have actually proven to add up to profound effects on the life and personality
of
the individual, and what they can and can't do with proficiency.
Yeah, but the handedness of your brain can shift over time. I am definitely more left-brain than I was twenty years ago, and I might yet swing the other way.
Neil