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Guys, I'm so sorry but after reading at least 3 times wikipedia, I still get confused about shipping/canon and stuff like that. Can we explain here ?

 

I understood that a canon is a couple that already existed, and a shipping is when the fans create a couple. Is that right ?

Then I don't understand what is "shipping a canon" about. Is it about continuing the story of a couple already existing in a book ? 

 

Now that I'm here, I must say I read a complete story about Draco and Hermione, and even though to me they have nothing to do together, I loved the story ! :)

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Here's my best (long winded) stab at an explanation: :P

 

The canon does not necessarily have anything to do with shipping.  If there were no shipping communities than the canon would still exist.  The canon is the story as written by the author.  So in the case of the HP books when anyone is talking about the canon, they are talking about the story and the characters and the literary choices as they were written/made by the original author Joanne Rowling.

 

So hypothetically speaking:  If JKR had chosen to write a relationship between Draco and Dobby then that would have been part of the canon.  OR If Voldemort had lived and killed everyone else off when Rowling wrote the books, then that would be considered the canon.  If padfoot had instead been named puddlefoot, then that would be the canon. 

 

Essentially the canon is what she wrote... it's her books in her words. Couples are PART of the canon, but they don't have to be.  If she wrote the stories without having any of the characters become couples then the story she wrote would still be considered the canon.  Someone who remains "faithful to the canon" remains faithful to the choices that Ms. Rowling made when writing the books. 

 

Shipping is something of a fandom creation when fans support relation(ships).  The word ship is derived from the word relationship.  If someone "ships" the "canon" then they support the relationships that Jo Rowling made.  Therefore they would "ship" Ron and Hermione and Tonks and Lupin and Harry and Ginny.  Those would be examples of shipping the canon.  A person could also ship Ron and Harry and still be true to the canon.  IF they support Ron and Harry's friendship they are still shipping the canon.  If they wanted Ron and Harry to marry eachother than they would not be shipping the canon.  So shipping is just support of a relationship.

 

If someone read the books and wanted Harry to end up with Hermione or Dumbledore to end up with Ariebella Figg, then they might "ship" those couples.  Acting as proponents of those relationships by voicing their support in a shipping community like this one.  Those ships would be in opposition to what was written. 

 

I myself ship the canon.  I support all the choices that JKR made in her book. That doesn't mean it has anything to do with continuing the story from the books though.  I don't write fan fictions.  When I discuss the books I just support her choice to put Ron and Hermione together in a romantic relationship and her choice to put Harry and Ginny together in a romantic relationship.

 

I hope that helped and wasn't too confusing Thessalie.  I'm sure it could be explained much better by someone like Dumbledore's Woman (Katharine) or Galadriel (Sabine).  :doh:

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Hey :) Yes I am in belief that canon is the real deal from the books...so when people say some scenes in movies are not canon it means it is not matching with the books and the characters. For example, when Emma tweeted she reckoned Hermione kept her maiden name, that would be canon-she is thinking like Hermione-the Hermione we know of her personality from books. Shipping is what relationship you support...like I ship ONLY R/Hr together NOT Hermione and Draco, NOT Harry and Hermione, NOT Ginny and Wood...etc...canon shippers would be I guess the shippers of the books-the true couples and not made up couples LOL ...anyway hope this was a help...agree with Mr. P here-ask Dumbledore's Woman-she is good at explaining but so did Mr. P in his explanation ;)

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haha aw thanks for all your kind words guys! :blush:

 

I'm not sure I can be of any more help though - Jon explained it much better than I ever could.

 

In basic terms:

 

Shipping =  the support/fandom of particular relationships, whether they're 'canon' or not. Hell, you can ship Harry with Gollum from LOTR if you want! :P

 

Canon, as I understand it, is the work  created by the author and the choices she made. Fanfiction, therefore, is not canon - even if it aims to follow the same path/choices as the books - because it was not created by the author. As Kristen said, certain scenes from the movies which have been changed/adapted/added from the way they are presented in the book are not canon. For example, it is Canon that Ron and Hermione went to the Chamber of Secrets during the Battle of Hogwarts in DH7. The scene shown within the book of what happened whilst they were in there, however, is not canon because it was not written in the book. It may be a very good guess at what JKR might have written had she written that scene, but as she was not the author, it cannot be classed as canon.

 

I hope that helps. I get a bit confused myself trying to explain it :P

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Harry and Gollum?  So I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE?!?!?! :o:ohyeah:  It's easy to get lost in those big eyes of Gollum's :drool: as I'm sure Harry has discovered. :P I was just fearful of starting the new thread here as I'd never heard of another Harry/Gollum shipper before. ;)

 

Great job Kristin and Katharine!  *moderate but appropriate applause* I should have added Kristin into the whole canon discussion as I'm sure she is familiar with discussions involving the teaching canon (what's generally material that is considered as acceptable or as expected to be taught in U.S. schools).

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LOL!!!!! Omg I love it :) That is awesome...no it is relationship (shipping :))...that made my day! LOL...

Awww Jon yeah I don't teach shipping although I do "accidentally" throw in to my students "remember Ron with Hermione" ;-) HEHE...

DW as always-AMAZING job!!!!!!

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Thank you guys so much !! You made it very clear thanks to your multiple examples (and now i understand better how to use those words gramatically speaking XD).

 

I agree that the movies sometimes isn't canon. I always thought also that shipping was like "creating", not "supporting", I understand so much better !

On facebook I follow the great fan page "The Common Room", and a lot of the posts are about shipping something, or "I hate when people ship Dramione", stuff like that. It was really hard for me to understand what was going on. 

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  • 8 years later...

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