Mary Sue

This article is about the concept in modern literary criticism. For either part of the given name or real or fictional people named as such, see Mary and Sue.

A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader. It is generally accepted as a character whose positive aspects overwhelm their other traits until they become one-dimensional. While the label "Mary Sue" itself originates from a parody of this type of character, most characters labeled "Mary Sues" by readers are not intended by authors as such. Male Mary Sues are often dubbed "Gary Stu", "Larry Stu", "Marty Stu", or similar names.

While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, and its most common usage today occurs within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction, original characters in role-playing games or literary canon are also sometimes criticized as being "Mary Sues" or "canon Sues" if they dominate the spotlight or are too unrealistic or unlikely in other ways. One example of this criticism is Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Etymology

The term "Mary Sue" is from the name of a character created by Paula Smith in 1973 for her parody story "A Trekkie's Tale"^[1]:15 published in her fanzine Menagerie #2.^[2] The story starred Lieutenant Mary Sue ("the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet — only fifteen and a half years old"), and satirized unrealistic and adolescent wish-fantasy characters in Star Trek fan fiction. Such characters were generally original (non-canon) and female adolescents who had romantic liaisons with established canon adult characters, or in some cases were the younger relatives or protégés of those characters. By 1976 Menagerie's editors stated that they disliked such characters, saying:

Mary Sue stories—the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Usually characterized by unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. This character can also be found burrowing her way into the good graces/heart/mind of one of the Big Three [Kirk, Spock, and McCoy], if not all three at once. She saves the day by her wit and ability, and, if we are lucky, has the good grace to die at the end, being grieved by the entire ship.^[3]

Today "Mary Sue" carries a connotation of wish-fulfillment and is commonly associated with self-insertion (the writing of oneself into a fictional story). True self-insertion is a literal and generally undisguised representation of the author; most characters described as "Mary Sues" are not, though they are often called "proxies"^[4] for the author. The negative connotation comes from this "wish-fulfillment" implication: the "Mary Sue" is judged a poorly developed character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting. Such proxy characters, critics claim, exist only because authors wish to see themselves as the "special" character in question.

The term is also associated with cliché such as exotic hair and eye colors, mystical or superhuman powers, exotic pets, possessions, or origins, or an unusually tragic past, especially when these things are glaringly out of step with the consistency of the canon. These features are commonplace in "Mary Sues", though even a character who lacks them may be labeled a "Sue" by some critics. Even in canon where such qualities are the norm, an original female character who has them still runs the risk of being labeled a "Sue". The term is more broadly associated with characters who are exceptionally and improbably lucky. The good luck may involve romance ("Mary Sue" always gets her man); adventure ("Mary Sue" always wins a fight or knows how to solve the puzzle) and popularity (the "right people" seem to gravitate towards the character). These characters have few problems while attempting to achieve their goals. "Everything goes her way" is a common criticism regarding "Mary Sues", the implication being that the character's inability to fail makes her insufficiently humanized or challenged to be interesting or sympathetic.

Canon Sue

"Canon Sue" may refer to a character whose canon portrayal itself is seen as a "Mary Sue", rather than a character who has been altered in fan fiction. Typically, this refers to a character accused of being overly idealized or having other traits traditionally associated with fan fiction "Mary Sues", such as being "special" by having a gratuitously tragic past, unrealistic skills or attractiveness, or a seeming inability for the character to do wrong. Examples include Wesley Crusher^[5][6] and Amanda Rogers in Star Trek: The Next Generation.^[5] Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn has been criticized for having "Mary Sue"-style characterisation.^[7]

Mary Sue Tests

Various tests have been written to help writers (especially inexperienced ones) gauge whether or not their character is a Mary Sue,^[8] as well as bring the "Mary Sue" concept to writers' attention.^[9] These tests list fiction clichés and character traits that are also commonly associated with stereotypical "Mary Sues", ranging from questions on hair and eye color ("Is it a color found in nature?") to the author's relationship to the character (such as if they share a name or nickname with the character). Matching more traits results in a higher score for a character. Once the score is high enough, the character is said to be a likely "Mary Sue", to varying degrees of apparent severity including "Uber-Sue". The original "Mary Sue Litmus Test" was meant for those writing in the Gargoyles fandom,^{[citation needed]} though it has since been almost endlessly adapted for other fandoms and original characters, becoming somewhat of a minor meme online.

Most such tests include a disclaimer noting characters with high scores can avoid being considered a "Mary Sue." The tests are primarily a guide for better characterization. Many writers believe that the tests are so strict that they make not only fictional characters out to be "Mary Sues," but real people as well (the original test and a number of its adaptations mention Bono as an example of a non-fictional person who tests as a "Mary Sue"). In determining the status of speculative fictional characters, characters score higher if they have magical powers, superhuman abilities, or unusual names, appearances, and pets - common in science fiction and fantasy settings. Even if such powers or appearances are normal in the context of the setting, older tests will rate a character higher for having them. As a result, many newer tests will state in the testing rules that questions regarding such powers and appearances can be skipped or marked "no" in such situations.

Criticism

The "Mary Sue" concept has drawn criticism from feminists and amateur and professional authors.

In chapter four of her book Enterprising Women,^[10] Camille Bacon-Smith includes a subsection on the "Mary Sue" concept. While not denying that such characters exist, with reasonable psychological observations as to why "Mary Sues" exist in the first place, she observes that fear of creating a "Mary Sue" may be restricting and even silencing some writers.

Smith quotes editor Joanna Cantor^[11] as identifying "Mary Sue" paranoia as one of the sources for the lack of "believable, competent, and identifiable-with female characters." In this article, Cantor interviews her sister Edith, also an amateur editor, who says she receives stories with cover letters apologizing for the tale as "a Mary Sue", even when the author admits she does not know what a "Mary Sue" is. According to Edith Cantor, while Paula Smith's original "Trekkie's Tale" was only ten paragraphs long, "in terms of their impact on those whom they affect, those words [Mary Sue] have got to rank right up there with the Selective Service Act."^[12] At Clippercon 1987 (a Star Trek fan convention held yearly in Baltimore, Maryland), Smith interviewed a panel of female authors who say they do not include female characters in their stories at all. She quoted one as saying "Every time I've tried to put a woman in any story I've ever written, everyone immediately says, this is a Mary Sue." Smith also pointed out that "Participants in a panel discussion in January 1990 noted with growing dismay that any female character created within the community is damned with the term Mary Sue."^[13]

However, several other writers quoted by Smith have pointed out that in Star Trek as originally created, James T. Kirk is himself a "Mary Sue," and that the label seems to be used more indiscriminately on female characters who do not behave in accordance with the dominant culture's images and expectations for females as opposed to males.^[14] Professional author Ann C. Crispin is quoted as saying: "The term 'Mary Sue' constitutes a put-down, implying that the character so summarily dismissed is not a true character, no matter how well drawn, what sex, species, or degree of individuality."^[15]

In an academic paper written for the UC Davis School of Law, Anupam Chander and Madhavi Sunder argue for Mary Sue as a viable character.^[16] Rather than a mere exercise in self-indulgence, Chander and Sunder see Mary Sue characters as representing "subaltern critique and empowerment", challenging a "patriarchal, heterosexist, and racially stereotyped cultural landscape." by "valoriz[ing] women and marginalized communities". The paper explores the notion that Mary Sue fan fiction is fair use under copyright law, "a metonym for fair uses that rewrite the popular narrative".

Author and radio host J.M. Frey, who has written several papers exploring fan behavior, analyzes Mary Sue type characters and their possibilities in Water Logged Mona Lisa: Who Is Mary Sue, and Why Do We Need Her? Frey believes that Mary Sue is a self-gratifying, wish-fulfillment device, but argues that they can be transformed into "Meta Sues" who "investigate the self or marginalized subjects in media texts."^[17]

See also

• Author character
• Author surrogate
• Stock character
• Noble savage
• Fan fiction
• Fanzine
• List of fan fiction terms on Transwiki
• Tall Poppy Syndrome

References

1. ^ Verba, Joan Marie (2003). Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan & Zine History, 1967-1987. Minnetonka MN: FTL Publications. ISBN 0-9653575-4-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=V81wCQ_4BiwC. 
2. ^ "SF Citations for OED: Mary Sue". http://www.jessesword.com/sf/view/1095. Retrieved 2006-05-20. 
3. ^ Byrd, Patricia (Spring 1978). "Star Trek Lives: Trekker Slang". American Speech 53 (1): 52–58. doi:10.2307/455340. JSTOR 455340. 
4. ^ Orr, David (2004-10-03). "The Widening Web of Digital Lit". The New York Times. http://donswaim.com/nytimes.digital.lit.html. Retrieved 2006-10-02. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Pat Pflieger, 150 Years Of Mary Sue. Presented at the American Culture Association conference, March 31, 1999, San Diego, CA. Webpage found 2008-10-16.
6. ^ Wil Wheaton. "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Justice". TV Squad. http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/28/star-trek-the-next-generation-code-of-honor/. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
7. ^ Mandy Southgate, Book Review: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 12, 2011, page found 2011-04-20.
8. ^ http://missy.reimer.com/library/marysue.html
9. ^ "The Universal Mary-Sue Litmus Test". Springhole.net. 2007-04-11. http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-14. 
10. ^ Bacon-Smith, Camille, Enterprising Women, Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth. Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.
11. ^ Joanna Cantor, "Mary Sue, a Short Compendium." In Archives #5, 1980, ed. Joanna Cantor, Yeoman Press, Bronx, NY
12. ^ Smith, p. 96.
13. ^ Smith, p. 110. A footnote states this was reported to her by Judy Chien, who attended the panel at MostEastlyCon 1990 in Newark.
14. ^ Smith, p. 97.
15. ^ Smith, p. 98.
16. ^ Everyone's a Superhero: A Cultural Theory of 'Mary Sue' Fan Fiction as Fair Use. Page found 2011-04-20.
17. ^ J.M. Frey, Water Logged Mona Lisa: Who Is Mary Sue, and Why Do We Need Her? 2009 master's degree project, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario.

Further reading

External links, origins and history

• A Historical Perspective on Mary Sue: Issues and Trends A chronological description of how the concept has been approached in fan fiction communities, particularly Star Trek, since its inception.
• "Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue" Essay
• "Whatever Happened to Mary Sue?" An article that discusses how the concept of the Mary Sue has evolved over time.
• The Mary Sue Society Site contains a detailed explanation of Mary Sue, as well as essays and links, including examples of how Mary Sues appear in specific fandoms.
• "Mary Sue Gives Birth, Baby Undergoes Sex Change" in the Internet Review of Science Fiction online magazine. An overview of Mary Sue history, including a discussion of Kirk as the proto-Mary Sue and Wesley Crusher as the most famous incarnation of the type.
• Mary Sue at Fanlore
• A Mary Sue Checklist by J.M. Frey. Not a litmus test, but an analysis of Mary Sue type characters in fan craft, for Water Logged Mona Lisa, Frey's master's thesis.

Additional essays

• Mary Sue, Who Are You? an essay by Merlin Missy, lists the characteristics that are commonly identified as "Mary Sue".
• Self-Insertion and Mary-Sueism examines the difference between a Mary Sue and a character based on the author - and why, often, there is none.
• The Original ANTI Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test examines the difficulty in creating a Mary Sue test.

Mary Sue "Litmus Tests" online

• The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test (for Gargoyles fan fiction) The first Mary Sue Litmus Test published on the Internet.^{[unreliable source?]}
• The Original-Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test A test for characters in original fiction.