The World of Gabaldon and Outlander

In preface, before entering the World of Gabaldon and Outlander, let me note that I am not typically a joiner, fanatic, or even one of the interesting people who go, year after year, in costume to fan conventions (not that there is anything wrong with that). However, when it comes to the topic of Diana Gabaldon’s writing, her characters, and the world of Outlander, I find myself drifting somewhat uncomfortably close to literary fanatic (to the point that my husband and children would smirk knowingly and tell me to forget about it, “Mom, you are SO already there!”).

I have a hypothesis about this; I believe that we, her fans, fall into categories. These categories are my own definition, and not, of course, absolute. They are affectionately tongue-in-cheek and I, at times, pinball between them. Let me explain.

The Mild Fan

The mild fan has read some of Gabaldon’s books, but can take their time, enjoying each book. They will read every one of the (now eight) volumes in the main Outlander series, but perhaps have not read the associated adventures of Lord John Grey. They often have only one medium of her books (as opposed to my sad case – I have the eBook, hardback, AND audio of her latest bestseller, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood). They might have purchased The Outlandish Companion, but have not absorbed it to the point of recognizing, when/if they see Diana in person, that some stories are frequently repeatedly nearly word-for-word. I love her ability to sincerely recount the stories of how she became a writer, and do so over and over and over with humor and grace, the words never sounding forced or memorized. Each one of the three times I traveled to see her was a fresh, interesting experience (utterly amazing, considering the thousands of books she signs and the fact that I have never seen her turn a single person away). In Dallas recently she signed books until after 1am and her smile never faltered  – oops, getting into Moderate territory here… I digress.

The mild fan has probably found her website, and often become unaccountably interested in previously dormant interests, such as history (the pivotal battle of Culloden or the American Revolutionary War of Independence), 18^th century medicine (leeches, anyone?), or the science fiction of time travel (a dash of genetic predisposition, a gemstone, standing stones and think of your heart’s desire). If they are on Twitter, they might have added @Writer_DG to their list of interesting people. If they are on Facebook, they might have added Diana Gabaldon author, as a way to get updates on books or appearances. But one must be careful… that is how it begins.

The mild fan can quickly turn to moderate after being introduced to a richer medium; I was catapulted into the next level of fandom after listening to Davina Porter vocalize Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser and Jamie Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser (we may have a quiz at the end; if you can say all the names, at the very least you rate a “moderate”). In my review of Outlander here at AudioGals, I explain that Outlander introduced me to audiobooks, and set the bar that no one else has exceeded. Diana Gabaldon has further immortalized Davina Porter when she listed her name as Jamie Fraser’s grandmother in the genealogical chart of the Fraser family tree.

The Moderate Fan

This fan has progressed even further into the written and online world of Diana Gabaldon (as I write this, I realize I am WAY past this – sigh). By this point, the enraptured soul has read the books multiple times and may have begun to join book clubs or online discussions of the books. They have finished her novellas and the Lord John Grey books in the desired order and the reader may have found the primary site where Diana regularly discusses the finer plot points, often with humor, and sometimes with asperity on CompuServe (don’t ask when Book 9 is coming out when she is still on the herculean journey of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood; she recently posted a threat of bonking over the head those with the temerity to ask). For those of you as old as I am, you will remember CompuServe as a forum from the beginning of internet time; Diana was already a member of other early scientific online communities and found this place where authors, editors, and book-lovers could discuss the art of writing. Her books deserve their own list of discussion topics and are ably moderated by the talented and dedicated Karen Henry. When I am confused on the motivation of a character or the linkages of intricate plot points, I can find the answers here.

Somewhere during this level of involvement in the literary or online worlds, the reader has become aware that the Outlander books were optioned by the STARZ network, Sony, and executive producer Ron Moore to become a TV series debuting on August 9, 2014 in the US (and at different times in various countries). Delving deeply into this new visual world, with all of the casting, photography and YouTube sneak peeks, one is likely to be sucked into the next level.

The Ineluctable Fan

“Ineluctable” is an uncommon word for an uncommon enthusiast. It means “unable to be resisted or avoided” – the ultimate fan condition of thousands of Outlander readers/listeners. This was a deliberate word choice, because it was one of the eight words I had to look up as I read DG’s latest, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood – including ineluctable, pledget, apostrophize (not used to the verb form), welkin, crepitation, castrametation (does not mean what it sounds like), frottage (a fun one), and coruscation.

Some might call this level reverent or even obsessed. This devotee might be reticent to speak of the author in familiar terms, and may often refer to her as “Herself” (a fond reference to Jamie’s honorific from those belonging to his clan). These might be the fans who have a complete wardrobe of articles from the books and the upcoming series (okay, okay – I only have two t-shirts!), and have researched all branches of their family tree until they have found the Scottish ancestors and have bought the plaid and kilt pin to prove it (and they will wear it to Comic Con). They have begun to attend Highland games in their areas and spend the whole game looking for other Fraser or MacKenzie or Outlander fans and taking pictures of the Fraser crest with “Je Suis Prest” on it (and then tweeting it to Writer_DG).

This fan may find and join every possible Facebook or Twitter followings related to the books and the TV series and has discovered that even the actors have groups (Sam Heughan has been cast as Jamie Fraser and his group is known as the Heughligans; Caitriona Balfe is cast as Claire, and her group is Catrionation, home of the Caitriots). Many of these fans have found (and are following on Twitter) the actors, producers, set designers, writers, and even the Scotland location drivers associated with the series. The luckiest have tickets to the upcoming San Diego Comic Convention, where the first episode of the series will premiere, attended by Diana Gabaldon, Ron Moore (the Executive Producer), Maril Davis (Producer), Sam Heughan (Jamie), Caitriona Balfe (Claire), Tobias Menzies (Frank Randall/Black Jack Randall), Graham McTavish (Dougal MacKenzie), and Lotte Verbeek (Geillis Duncan). The fans remain classy, however, and many of these groups have picked a charity and have participated in fund raising activities (remember the T-shirts?) that have resulted in proceeds for cancer research.

Before you are too quick to dismiss this level of fan, you have to attend one of Diana’s personal appearances. Wait in line and listen to the stories. Listen carefully to the questions at the end, half of which are testimonials. You will hear stories about the way her writing has brought light into the days and nights of ailing and dying parents, comfort to those serving in the military, or how Claire’s passion has inspired people to complete medical degrees or complete their first novel. In general, her books have generated a passion for living and loving and learning.

Diana Gabaldon made an interesting observation at her recent Dallas appearance, while on her latest book tour. She mentioned something to the effect that even her most passionate fans are well within in the boundaries of acceptable behavior… to date. Her current fans, she observed, have to be fairly intelligent and have a decent attention span, in order to make it through her lengthy and detailed books; this does not lend itself to the “nutter” variety of fan. She went on to note that when the new STARZ series comes out, the actors in the series, who heretofore have seen a passionate but relatively well-behaved type of following, might see a new “grab the cheek under the kilt” variety of followers. I don’t yet have a name for that breed (although I would bet Diana could come up with a pithy offering).

For other useful sites (that will pull you ineluctably higher), please try some of these:

• Diana’s library content listings (upon which you can search, in case you want to find out more about, say, herbal medicine, the American Revolution, Quakers, etc)
• Outlander locations on a special map of Google Earth

Victoria

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