Fan Fiction:
* Focus: Extends or explores the world and characters of a pre-existing work, often focusing on romantic relationships or alternate storylines.
* Purpose: Primarily for entertainment and personal expression, to explore existing characters in new ways.
* Respect for Original Work: Generally respects the original work's canon, characters, and setting.
* Legality: Usually considered non-commercial and non-infringement if it doesn't create a derivative work for profit.
* Examples: Harry Potter stories focusing on a different Hogwarts House, a "Star Wars" story with a new Jedi Knight, or a "Twilight" story exploring the relationship between Bella and Jacob.
Parody:
* Focus: Makes fun of or satirizes a pre-existing work through exaggeration, mockery, and imitation.
* Purpose: To entertain and critique the original work.
* Respect for Original Work: Often involves deliberately altering the original work, changing characters, events, or the overall tone.
* Legality: Can be protected under fair use, but it must be transformative, meaning it adds a new meaning or message to the original.
* Examples: "Scary Movie" mocking horror films, "Austin Powers" spoofing James Bond, or a political cartoon lampooning a current event.
Here's a helpful analogy:
* Fan fiction is like building a new room onto an existing house. It adds to the original structure without changing the foundation or core elements.
* Parody is like rebuilding the house in a funny, exaggerated way. It takes inspiration from the original, but it changes everything to make a new, humorous statement.
In summary:
* Fan fiction is about expanding and exploring existing narratives.
* Parody is about poking fun at and critiquing existing narratives.
Both can be enjoyable and creative, but they have different goals and approaches to the source material.