I have frequently wondered, while writing something that to the best of my knowledge is original, what the chances are that a certain well formed phrase of mine would be similar to something someone else may have typed up. It's really a game of guessing a statistics, and since my middle school years, it has bothered me. Of the myriad documents and entries everywhere, confounded by multimedia authorship today, there are bound to be writings that possess some random quality that may be characteristic of my work, and it leads me to wonder if I could ever truly have an original thought. Is everything I write a regurgitation of something else, tucked away in memory or subconscious? It makes me wonder if I should shun some of my favorite authors--Kingsolver, Irving, Grogan, and many more--for fear that my admiration will lead me to emulate a style that is not really mine. Maybe I exaggerate, but plagiarism is so broadly defined that the distinction is rarely as clear as I need it to be.
Although writing does make me apprehensive in that respect, I can identify with the business view as well. Money makes the world go around, and everyone needs to make a living. Yet when the money making inhibits the spread of creative influence, I would argue that measures must be taken to balance the two extremes. In order for that to happen, two things must occur: there must be a definitive line between plagiarism and legally using another individual's work, and the stigma from building on what another author has said must be lifted. If that means reference pages must accompany novels, than maybe they should be considered. But this must be done in some way so that the business extreme isn't being catered to--the story of two lovers being torn apart by extenuating circumstances shouldn't have to reference Romeo and Juliet.
If only there was an easy way to do that.
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Mimicking an author's style is not plagiarism. Reading numerous books by your favorite authors, of course your style might look the same. If you go ahead and type the same sentence or same novel - then yes, you have copied them. I think many authors take it as a compliment when their styles are mimicked, they are clearly doing something admirable.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm enjoying the color!
ReplyDeleteAnd second, I enjoyed reading this entry. I read it this morning after I had blogged, and was drawn in to read this one by the first sentence. I agree with you. I keep thinking about how similar works are and the chances to plagiarize. I think your exaggeration about the authors raises a good point--my little sister used to be enthralled with the format and word choice a certain author used. She would write up stories using similar wording, that is, until she found out about plagiarism. I think that fear of plagiarism hinders many writers from truly expressing their thoughts, either for fear of others copying it or fear of not being original.
I also find that the fear of plagiarism sometimes prevents me from writing what is truly on my mind. There have been times in the past when I have been afraid that I might not site a source correctly, and therefore decide to leave it out of my paper entirely. For this reason, I agree that the stigma attached to plagiarism should be at least somewhat lifted. Writers should feel free to interpret the ideas of others rather than feeling afraid of being found guilty of plagiarism.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with the last line of your blog. Measures must be taken to prevent the extremes: even Shakespeare wasn't the original creator of the Romeo and Juliet love story, he borrowed from the ancient story of Tristan and Isolde.
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