
Characters Before Copyright
The Rise and Regulation of Fan Fiction in Eighteenth-Century Germany
Matthew H. Birkhold(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 7. May 2019
Book
Hardback
308 pages
978-0-19-883197-6 (ISBN)
Description
How did authors control the literary fates of fictional characters before the existence of copyright? Could a second author do anything with another author's character? Situated between the decline of the privilege system and the rise of copyright, literary borrowing in eighteenth-century Germany has long been considered unregulated. This book tells a different story. Characters before Copyright documents the surprisingly widespread eighteenth-century practice of writing fan fictionliterary works written by readers who appropriate preexisting characters invented by other authorsand reconstructs the contemporaneous debate about the literary phenomenon. Like fan fiction today, these texts took the form of sequels, prequels, and spinoffs. Analyzing the evolving reading, writing, and consumer habits of late-eighteenth-century Germany, Characters before Copyright identifies the social, economic, and aesthetic changes that fostered the rapid rise of fan fiction after 1750. Based on archival work and an ethnographic approach borrowed from legal anthropology, this book then uncovers the unwritten customary norms that governed the production of these works. Characters before Copyright thus reinterprets the eighteenth-century literary commons, arguing that what may appear to have been the free circulation of characters was actually circumscribed by an exacting set of rules and conditions. These norms translated into a unique type of literature that gave rise to remarkable forms of collaborative authorship and originality. Characters before Copyright provides a new perspective on the eighteenth-century book trade and the rise of intellectual property, reevaluating the concept of literary property, the history of moral rights, and the tradition of free culture.
Reviews / Votes
An appendix lists the works and those that followed (including plot summaries), provides background information on less-known source authors, and outlines reception. The history of authorship and intellectual property rights encourages consideration of these and similar texts that help define the era known for Romanticism and Classicism, thereby examining the relationship of moral law and literature. The bibliography and index are impressive. ... Recommended * CHOICE * Matthew Birkhold has written a fascinating book about the upsurge in eighteenth century Germany of what can only be called "fan fiction". Given the absence of copyright law at this time, it was perfectly legal for dozens or even hundreds of authors to write new adventures for such famous characters as Werther and Lotte from Goethe's The Sufferings of Young Werther. In short, writers and readers shared a kind of joint interest in thecharacters they created and re-created. But that doesn't mean that there were no rules: as Birkhold shows, a set of subtle yet powerful norms divided permitted from forbidden uses of beloved characters. In short, Birkhold's book documents another fascinating cases of order without law * Christopher Sprigman, NYU Law School *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
7 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
648 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-883197-6 (9780198831976)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Matthew H. Birkhold
Characters Before Copyright
The Rise and Regulation of Fan Fiction in Eighteenth-Century Germany
E-Book
04/2019
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€46.99
Available for download

Matthew H. Birkhold
Characters Before Copyright
The Rise and Regulation of Fan Fiction in Eighteenth-Century Germany
E-Book
04/2019
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€54.49
Available for download
Person
Matthew H. Birkhold is an assistant professor of German at the Ohio State University, where he also holds an appointment at the Moritz College of Law. After completing his Ph.D. at Princeton University and J.D. at Columbia Law School, Dr Birkhold worked as an attorney-adviser for the US Department of State. His research and teaching examine the interrelations of law, culture, and the humanities.
Author
Assistant Professor of German, Assistant Professor of Law, The Ohio State University
Content
Introduction
Part I
1: The Book Market, the Good Reader, and the Rise of Fan Fiction
2: The Stakes of Fan Fiction
3: Customary Norms and Rules
4: Sanctions and Strategies of Control
Part II
5: Fan-Fiction in the Eighteenth-Century Literary Landscape
6: Fictional Characters in the Eighteenth-Century Literary Commons
An Interlude in Lieu of a Conclusion
Appendix
Works Cited
Part I
1: The Book Market, the Good Reader, and the Rise of Fan Fiction
2: The Stakes of Fan Fiction
3: Customary Norms and Rules
4: Sanctions and Strategies of Control
Part II
5: Fan-Fiction in the Eighteenth-Century Literary Landscape
6: Fictional Characters in the Eighteenth-Century Literary Commons
An Interlude in Lieu of a Conclusion
Appendix
Works Cited