Before you send me your submissions for parodies of Tam Lin,
there are two things you should know. One is that I am fairly picky
about what I'll accept, the other is that I almost never answer
e-mail. Given this, should you choose to send me something you feel
would be a good match for this website, please do not take it
personally if it does not make it onto the web quickly or at all.
If I wish to include it, I may still take a while to respond. If I
decline the opportunity to include it, I may simply not respond at
all. This website is maintained in my spare time, updates often
take me months or longer, and it is generally a long time between
bursts of activity. I also tend to be a fairly private person, and
I rarely engage in virtual conversation with strangers, so it can
be hard to get my attention on-line.
In my regular web searches for more information on the ballad,
I've run into a number of fanfiction style retellings of Tam Lin. I
am aware that a lot of the folks who love the story like retelling
it in their own words. I do something much the same when I tell
people about my website (whether they want to hear it or not). I
understand the impulse to make the story your own, otherwise I
would not have as many versions on this website as I have.
Furthermore, while this story is a traditional one, many of the
versions I do have here under the general catagory of version of a
folktale ARE strongly associated with particular performers, and
this can somewhat blur the line between folks song and original
works. I know that those who love the story often have their own
versions living in their heads. However, fanfiction is not nor will
ever likely be a topic I wish to explore on this website. It simply
does not fall under the limited scope of areas I intend to cover at
this site. Therefore, if you have written fanfiction associated
with Tam Lin, do not send it to me. You may send me the
URL for it if you have placed it on another web page, and I
will create a link to it in my library section for others
to view and enjoy. I have no problem with directing visitors to
where they may find areas of interest about Tam Lin that I do not
cover. I enjoy well writen fanfiction and have written some in my
own spare time (well, it was fanfiction but whether it was well
written or not is not for me to judge.)
Parody, on the other hand, is of a different nature than
fanfiction. While most fanfic tends to be somewhat adoring, parody
is (when done well) sharp, quick, and humorous. The best parodies
create an exageration of characteristics that helps to highlight
the original subject. The juxtoposition of the ridiculous and the
familiar is also a way of learning about a topic by our reaction to
the parody. Thankfully, most parodies also tends to be mercifully
short (unlike some fanfiction), since I generally prefer to keep
the pages here fast-loading. Within the accumulated explorations of
this website it is possible to lose sight of the original appeal of
the story through too much examination. A well written parody can
capture something of the essence of a story and deliver it in a
manner that is refreshing without losing focus of the story in the
first place. That is why I have chosen to include these parodies on
my website, in hope that their tilted perspective can provide some
insight into the nature of the ballad and its place in modern
society.
Still, the main focus of this website is and should continue to be
the traditional ballad of Tam Lin, not parodies of it, fanfic based
upon it, or individual author's retellings of it. Therefore, it is
not my intent to ever have a large number of parodies or indivual
versions of it here. I must be very picky about what I choose to
include on this website that might detract from that central focus.
I am no parody author, I do not have that skill myself (a bit like
the old joke concerning eunichs in a harem), and must therefore
rely on the talents of the vistors to this website to provide that
material for me. Any submisions will be carefully considered on
their merits. If I like a submission and decide to include it in my
webpages, then I WILL write back to you and notify you before I
post it to these pages. If I decline to put something on my website
I WILL still create a link to it if it exists on another website.
(If I don't choose to include it on my webpages, there's no point
in arguing with me about it, by the way. Taste may be subjective,
but ownership is definite, and I own the website.)
So if I haven't bored you or scared you off, you can send me your
submissions at the e-mail below.
If you want to contact the webmistress, you have to Say the Secret Word: Please note that in order to reduce the amount of spam I receive I have instituted a filter on my mail. If the phrase Tam Lin isn't in the subject line, the duck ain't coming down to give you your prize, okay? I can be reached at abigail amperset tam hyphen lin dot org.
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