Split?: Alternative Character Interpretation

A large enough number of spin-offs and sequels (as well as fanworks such as webcomics, one even provides the picture), and some works (The Elder Scrolls) leave much to interpretation giving the reader a great deal of liberty with interpreting the facts. These objectively offer what currently falls into the subjective Alternate Character Interpretation. Split?

edit: mixed up the two boxes when creating the topic. If possible please change the title to "split?" or such.

edited 28th Feb '11 11:24:39 AM by deuxhero

Doesnt' seem likte it needs it to me. The tropes title refers to a character being open to interpretation...and that's the trope. Whether or not the creator intended it to be open to interpretation isn't a criterea for something to fall under this trope.

I really don't think this trope should have examples, characters can gain thousands of alternate interpretations, it's weird that whoever gets to the page first gets to list about two and leave it at that.

I know that I'm Tempting Fate by necroing this but...

What about splitting the difference of posts 1 and 3? Essentially, if a work is a spinoff or a TimeSkipped sequel, these become par for the course. And don't get me started on SeriesFranchises that utilize Alternate Continuity.

Most of the entries (and references) are regarding Fanon. Why not go ahead and add a soft-split category for Alternative Canon (or outright Shrugs of God)? Or just an outright revamp focusing listed examples on the same and perhaps predominant Fanon not yet Jossed.

Seems split worthy to me.

I'm not sure what the proposed split is. What would the two separated tropes be?

What's described seems to be canon vs fanon, but since alternate interpretations are technically never canon, pretty much by definition, I'm not entirely sure.

Looking at some random examples, though, what might work is: alternative interpretations offered by works that aren't canon vs. interpretations offered by fandom. An example of the former, from AlternativeCharacterInterpretation.Literature:

• In Lord Byron's epic poem Don Juan, the author reinterprets the (in)famous Anti Heroic Casanova as a Cosmic Plaything who is so handsome, it's a curse and gets screwed over by dozens of women, some with less than admirable motives. (The author could sympathize with his hero on that, of course.)

For an example of the latter, well...most of the examples are examples of the latter category.

Alternative interpretations that are enshrined in works are not YMMV, so the split makes sense to me.

edited 5th Sep '11 12:21:39 PM by Xtifr