AT BEST, fanfic is infantile posturing by people who think that an ass-rape scene involving Hermione and Spiderman, or similar nonsense, is somehow dangerous and edgy, when it's really just lousy, derivative fantasizing by people incapable of producing original work on their own. It's self-involved wish-fulfillment dressed up in secondhand high school theatre costumes preening emptily to readers with only one hand on the keyboard. It couldn't exist without the real work and imagination that it so loftily claims to exceed, and yet couldn't get past a slushpile reader at the most desperate publishing outlet because it's simply a sad joke.

It other words, it makes perfect sense that your username is "baby"-something.

I am being childish about your username. I apologize.

Beyond that, I'm afraid you've failed to make a convincing argument that fanfic is anything but self-indulgent.

You ask what else is fiction but wish-fulfillment? Well, it's all kinds of things, and at its best wish-fulfillment is probably the least of it. The best fiction challenges and illuminates, draws readers into unexpected and often uncomfortable places. To say fiction is wish-fulfillment is to trivialize the very work you claim to be "expanding" with all the silly fanfic.

Your comment, "by "incapable" you deign to include "lacking the time, resources, or motivation." -- Um, I have news for you. It's an uncommon published author who isn't strapped for time and resources--they have day jobs, families, responsibilities. A few hit it big and get to write full time, but most of what you read is written by people who would love a few extra hours of sleep every so often or the time to do a little reading of their own. Maybe a few days off from work to just write. Alas, no. They do it anyway, because what they lack in time and resources they MAKE UP FOR IN MOTIVATION. Lacking motivation shouldn't be cited as an excuse for fan fiction. That's just, well, it's lame. Sit down and write, for heaven's sake.

And Farhad, sorry, dude, but quoting the literati flavor of the day, Chabon, doesn't really support the idea of fanfic, except as a writing exercise. He's a lovely stylist who has written some so-so books for the constipated navel-gazing set, plus one genuinely good book. But here's the thing. He wrote his actual fanfic when he was a kid. He says so himself. The Yiddish Policemen's Union may draw upon the tradition of authors who came before him (and what author doesn't?) but it's not fanfic itself. See, he stopped writing fanfic to write actual fiction!

I've covered this ground before. I have read fan fiction, and for a while a lot of it. Every year or so someone will pop up and say to me, "Okay, so a lot of it is crap, but try THIS," and I'll read some more. And it's always pretty much the same. Sometimes the quality of the writing is a little better, sometimes a little worse. But it's all mostly kinda pathetic.

I'll tell you, there is nothing wrong with writing fanfic, just like there's nothing wrong with masturbating. But both, honestly, are best done in private. If you want to write, write. Find your own voice, tell your own stories. Writing can be an revelatory act that looks inward and outward at the same time, it's a chance to grow and enlighten both yourself and others. All you're doing when you write fan fiction is looking over your shoulder at someone else.

But can someone explain to me the desperate need to so many media outlets to "discuss plot developments" in "reviews" before the book is even out? Even if we want to avoid spoilers, it's almost impossible the way they fly around print and digital media anymore. All you do is contribute to ruining an enjoyable experience by participating in this breathless "let's talk about it before anyone can actually READ it" farce.

I don't even look for this stuff, but I haven't experienced a plot twist in a major book or movie in 30 years, starting with learning that Darth Vader was Luke's father while standing in line to see Empire Strikes Back the day the movie opened, all the way up through learning Dumbledore died through the headline of an online news story purporting to discuss the impact of his death on young readers. The day before the book came out.

Why can't it be simply a desire to try to enjoy something untainted? I enjoyed Empire Strikes Back and the various Harry Potters -- as particular example -- despite the fact that spoilers got rammed down my throat before I even had a chance see or read them. The spoilers didn't ruin it for me, but that sort of thing does diminish the experience.

If, as you say, reviewing and criticism isn't "advertising," -- and I don't disagree -- then there's even less reason to rush it into print before people have a chance to address the material. What's the point, beyond a kind of sophomoric one-upmanship. "See! We talked about Harry Potter's secrets first! Neener!"

It's just about having fun. These books may not be brilliant literature, but they're fun to read, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy them fresh. This article and others like it could run a week from now and by then, most people who want to read the book untainted will have.

Salon is going to do what it's going to do. Obviously Joan and others wants this rushed into publication. My question is simply why? What's the hurry?