Mary Sue

Mary Sue is a pejorative term, sometimes simply shortened to Sue, used to describe or criticize a fictional character that exhibits some or most fan fiction clichés, making the character itself something of a cliché. Though the term itself is not limited to fan fiction, its origins lie in the name of a character from a 1973 Star Trek fanzine parody, and its most common usage today is still within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction. Characters were originally labeled as "Mary Sues" for being portrayed in an overly idealized way and lacking noteworthy or realistic flaws, similar to the character in the original parody story, A Trekkie's Tale. The definition of a "Mary Sue" today, however, has widened considerably to encompass most clichés found in fiction — such as having a tragic past or being perceived as immediately or eventually likeable — and especially that the character in question acts as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author who created it. These authors are sometimes referred to as Suethors, a portmanteau of "Sue" and "author".

The phrase also extends to characters of either gender: the male equivalents for "Mary Sue" are "Gary Stu," "Marty Stu," "Larry Sue," among other like-sounding names. While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, rare but still prevalent cases of Mary Sues exist in reference to canon characters, who can also exhibit clichés or be perceived idealistically; characters with such clichés or attributes are said to be "Sue-like" or possess "Sue tendencies." In a play-by-post role-playing game, many original characters are criticized as Mary Sues if they dominate the spotlight or can miraculously escape a near-impossible predicament (usually with an unlikely saving grace).

It is important to remember that affiliating a character as a Mary Sue is an entirely subjective process and personal decision, typically made by people — paid critics and non-professional readers alike — who generally disapprove of overused plot devices or stock characters found in most fan fiction, and that not all fan-made characters would necessarily qualify as a "Mary Sue". But while characters are usually unintentionally written as such, some authors deliberately create Mary Sues as a form of parody.

Etymology

The term "Mary Sue" was coined by Paula Smith in 1973, for her parody story "A Trekkie's Tale," published in her fanzine Menagerie #2. The main character was Lieutenant Mary Sue ("the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet—only fifteen and a half years old"). The story poked fun at what Smith considered to be unrealistic adolescent wish-fantasy characters appearing in Star Trek fan fiction of the period. The term has since been applied to non-canon characters in a variety of contexts, and this usage has not gone unused in the wider literary world. David Orr, in a review of online fan fiction websites FanFiction.net and Godawful Fan Fiction for The New York Times Book Review, wrote:

When you've had your fill of slash, gen, and 'ship fiction ([fan fiction] terms for various character entanglements), when you groan at the arrival of each new "Mary Sue" (a ludicrously empowered author proxy)...

Originally, in the Star Trek fan fiction community, "Mary Sue" described an original (non-canon) female character who had a romantic liaison with an established canon character, particularly if she possessed unrealistic or unlikely (and often exotic) traits above and beyond those expected of a character in that particular series, or a conventional author surrogate. Later, however, the concept was expanded to include almost any author surrogate character or highly idealized character that plays a major role in the plot, especially those who upstage the canon characters and occupy the spotlight. The term gained wider use outside of the Star Trek fandom in the late 1990s and the 2000s (primarily on the Internet), and has seen usage in reference to non-fan fiction in the mainstream media:

[Doctor Who character Rose Tyler is] what is commonly known as a 'Mary Sue'—an unironic reflection of the writers' and fans' desire to get in there and help the Doctor out (while managing to stay pretty).

- Roz Kaveney, in the April 29 2005, issue of the Times Literary Supplement.

Connotations

As one can see from its usages noted above, the term carries the strong connotation of wish-fulfillment; because of this, it is commonly associated with self-insertion, the literal writing of oneself into a fictional story. It is important to note, however, that a true self-insertion is a literal and generally undisguised representation of the author; many characters referred to as "Mary Sues" are not literal self-insertions, though they are frequently said to be a "proxy" or stand-in of some sort for the author. The generally negative connotation of the term comes from this very "wish-fulfillment" implication; the "Mary Sue" is seen as being a not very well-developed character, too perfect and with too few genuine faults to be a sympathetic or three-dimensional characterization, existing in the story only to satisfy the ego of the author.

The term is also often associated with over-the-top character features, such as exotic hair and eye colors, mystical or superhuman powers greater than other characters', exotic pets, possesions or origins, an unusually tragic backstory, and so on, due to the commonality of these traits in wish-fulfillment stories. However, it should be noted that even characters that lack most such features can be seen as a "Mary Sue" depending on the perspective of the critiquer (see for example Roz Kaveney's comments about Rose Tyler above).

Sub-concepts of "Mary Sue"

Anti-Sue

Some authors make an extreme reversal to avoid Mary-Sueism. However, it should be noted that Anti-Sue IS a Mary Sue, only written the opposite way. Anti-Sue traits include ugliness, physical unattractiveness, mental illness (or even psychopathy), not being powerful in the least if even competent, being generally disliked by others or else not interacting with them, wimpyness and other charasteristic humans don´t find very flattering. Success of Anti-Sues varies. Sometimes Anti-Sues are welcome, but at times they may be even worse than Mary Sues.

Canon-Sue (in fan fiction)

The term "canon-Sue" (sometimes also spelled canon!Sue) or Possession Sue is used to describe canon characters who are changed significantly from their original canon characterization and sometimes even divorced from their original context completely. Such characters are seen as having been heavily idealized to the point of being more of a stand-in for the author's wish fulfillment than as the original canon character.

Characters most frequently labeled "canon-Sues" often develop the typical traits of a Mary Sue with little precedent or explanation, a process sometimes called "sueification." Some examples are the discoveries of tragic pasts and abilities superior to other canon characters, the elimination or romanticization of flaws, and being targeted by characters disliked by the fan-author while befriended by canon characters liked by the author, or by an original character created by the author.

If the canon-Sue deviates significantly enough from the original it can also be alternatively be referred to as an act of "canon rape" or "raping canon". This has also been called "characterization rape," or "character rape" for short. The terms can also be used where a significant (and disliked) change has been made to the canon world or characters, such as when a former hero is vilified or a usually-chaste canon character is easily seduced by a fan-created Mary Sue character.

Canon-Sue (in original source)

A "canon Sue" may also refer to a character whose canon portrayal resembles a Mary Sue, rather than a character who has been altered in fanfiction. Typically, this refers to a character accused of being overly idealized or having other traits of traditional fanfiction Mary Sues, such as being 'special' by having a gratuitously tragic past, unrealistic skills, or a seeming inability for the character to do wrong. Characters such as Wesley Crusher and Amanda Rogers in Star Trek: The Next Generation have been criticized for being Mary Sue (or perhaps a Marty Stu in the former case) by fans of the series. In another, non-Star Trek example, the character Elminster in the Forgotten Realms is often similarly criticised for being a Mary Sue. An example of a canon Sue, is the character Cosmo from Sonic X. Ayla from the Earth's Children series is becoming more commonly recognized as a Mary Sue as well.

Gary Stu/Marty Stu

A male "Mary Sue" may be referred to as a "Gary Stu" [1], or a "Marty Stu" [2]. References to male characters being a "Gary Stu" (or similar masculinized term) are less common than those to female Mary Sues; this is probably due in part to the variety of masculinized permutations of the term (as opposed to the single feminine form), though it may be due to other reasons as well, such as the feminine dominance of many fiction sites, a history of male writers focus on plot elements rather than character development, or simply the zeitgeist of recent years; little if any statistical research seems to have been done regarding this.

Romantic Sue

Sues in romantic situations are seen as idealized versions of the author’s perfect lover, rather than of the author him or herself. Many female characters in shounen anime are criticized for being the male writer's romantic Sue, especially in harem anime, in which an everyman is typically surrounded by beautiful females, most of whom are attracted to him.

Self-insert

Self-insert is used to describe clear (and usually seen as indisputable) cases where the author has directly inserted a version of themself into the story in lieu of a wholly original character, generally going so far as to use the same name or pseudonym for character and author. Though some author surrogates have sometimes been thought to "work" in fiction, self-inserts, as a rule, are frequently seen as the most blatant form of Mary Sue-ness, most particularly in fan fiction, where self-inserts are generally heavily idealized. Some online fan fiction archives have a ban on any story which involves self-insertion, especially sites which disallow any fan fiction involving a "real person", such as FanFiction.net.

Villain-Sue

Villain-Sues are considered being the worst form of Mary-Sueism. Traits include replacing the canon villain, defeating canon characters frequently, having frequent suicidal thoughts (and cannot die despite these), having redeemable qualities, tragic past and turning into a good guy in the middle or end of the story.

Categorization patterns

Frequent subtypes or sub-subtypes of perceived Mary Sues will be named on the fly using certain patterns. Two of the most common methods of doing this are listed below:

• The ! convention. Generally this is a one-word description of the character as portrayed in a particular story, set against the word "Sue" with a ! symbol, e.g. rebel!Sue (to denote a rebellious character seen as a Mary Sue). For canon-Sues, the symbol is usually preceded by the canon character's name. It may also be used to ascribe traits to non-Sues. This convention is limited to online use.

• The - convention. Used less frequently (in part due to less freedom; the ! convention allows for multiple descriptors; for example, goth!alien!rebel!Sue), but still used nonetheless in some areas of fandom.

Tests

Because many traits are seen as being common to "Mary Sues", many online tests have been created, known as "Mary Sue Litmus Tests". In these "Litmus Tests", matching any "Mary Sue trait" results in a higher score on the test, and a high enough score is said to be the mark of the "Mary Sue". Most such tests sport a disclaimer that notes that even characters who score extremely high can be executed well enough not to be considered a "Mary Sue", and that the test is primarily meant as a guide for better characterization.

Parodies of the concept of "Mary Sue" in the media

As the concept (and term) has increased in usage over time, it has started to become referenced parody in the mainstream media:

• The writers of the television cartoon series Duckman make the occasional reference to Mary Sue. In the 4th season episode "Aged Heat 2: Women in Heat" a cute, sweet blonde character named "Suzie" is introduced who takes over Duckman's fame, fortune and attention.

• In the "Superstar" episode of the fourth season of TV's Buffy the Vampire-Slayer, the nebbish character Jonathan employs a powerful spell and his innate psychic powers in order to "recreate" the Buffyverse so that he becomes its ultimate media star, sex symbol and superhero. The episode's credits were even altered to feature Jonathan (actor Danny Strong) as the show's focal point and star.

See also

• Author character
• Author surrogate
• Fan fiction
• Fanzine

External links

Origins/history

• The Affirmation Some fans believe this to be the story that Paula Smith was thinking of when she wrote "Trekkie's Tale".
• 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.

Additional essays

• Mary Sue, Who Are You? a humorous essay on Mary Sues
• Self-Insertion and Mary-Sueism examines the difference between a Mary Sue and a character based on the author - and why there often is none.

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.
• The Universal Mary-Sue Litmus Test A non-fandom-specific Mary Sue Litmus Test.
• The Original-Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test A test for characters in original fiction.

References

• Verba, Joan Marie. Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History, 1967–1987. Mankato, MN: FTL Publications, 1996.