Brokeback Mountain Writer: “Stop Sending Me Slash Fic!”

It’s hard to imagine what kind of idiot would send a writer pornographic rewrites of their most successful work, but Anne Proulx, the woman behind the original short story of Brokeback Mountain, says it’s a “constant source of irritation.”

There are countless people out there who think the story is open range to explore their fantasies and to correct what they see as an unbearably disappointing story. They constantly send ghastly manuscripts and pornish rewrites of the story to me, expecting me to reply with praise and applause for ‘fixing’ the story. They certainly don’t get the message that if you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it.

While its tempting to blame the internet for peoplewho think their slash fiction is worth the attention of the original writer, you have to wonder if the urge to edit literary classics is really a modern invention. Maybe Charles Dickens was mailed hand-written descriptions of Fagin rogering Oliver Twist, and Arthur Miller was more than once invited to read Dick Of A Salesman. Either way, people need to keep this shit to themselves—or throw it on a slash forum. If Proulx reads Brokeback Mountin’ on Wranglers, it’s her own fault for looking.