tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post157838217637409634..comments2024-03-28T09:00:59.909+11:00Comments on The Vince Review: Genetically Modified FictionPaula Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-59365126322340331822014-07-07T19:44:46.333+10:002014-07-07T19:44:46.333+10:00Yes, if only that line was clearer at times. I can...Yes, if only that line was clearer at times. I can remember way back when Colleen McCulloch was accused of plagiarising L.M. Montgomery's 'The Blue Castle' in her 'Ladies of Missalonghi'. And the two storylines were remarkably similar in many ways.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-35411466977581833962014-07-06T14:21:00.078+10:002014-07-06T14:21:00.078+10:00I think perhaps we all do it to a greater or lesse...I think perhaps we all do it to a greater or lesser extent - the theorists call it intertexuality, the level in which our knowledge of the world and creativity is drawn from reading and absorbing other texts. To some extent we can't help borrowing from those that go before us - but I think there is a line between a tribute - doffing the hat in the direction of the greats - and straight out plagiarism - just that that line is rather fuzzy.Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-60341007169832247452014-07-06T14:10:10.474+10:002014-07-06T14:10:10.474+10:00Hi Jenny,
Movie scriptwriters have a hard job in f...Hi Jenny,<br />Movie scriptwriters have a hard job in front of them when it comes to converting books. Yes, my husband and son were bitterly disappointed about the adaptation of 'Eragon' too. As for 'The Hobbit' and LOTR, it's hard to think of anything they could have done to make it any better.<br /><br />I can understand why you would be in two minds. It's one of the tricky issues which can verge on grey rather than being perceived as either black or white. Another one which fits in with what you've mentioned is 'My Fair Lady' which has huge similarities to Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew' which was also based on 'Pygmalion.' And when you think about it, 'Pretty Woman' with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was probably a more recent adaptation of that same theme. Nothing new under the son. <br /><br />Your fiction and Game of Thrones is an interesting comparison. I haven't watched Game of Thrones either, but my hubby, son and nephew all love it.<br /><br />Interestingly, after referring to my son's essay, I was reminded that his favourite game in which he's risen high, (League of Legends) is regarded by many as a 'mod' developed from World of Warcraft. It's something that is so widespread and insidious, I'm sure we don't even realise it's being done half the time.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-49315043159918618092014-07-04T16:52:50.297+10:002014-07-04T16:52:50.297+10:00Having recently done a unit on Script Adaptation, ...Having recently done a unit on Script Adaptation, I have a greater appreciation for the challenges of converting a novel (long, complex and able to delve deeply into the minds of the characters) to a movie (2 short hours, visual and external). Two very different mediums - so even the most faithful reproduction has to make hard choices - about simplifying the plot (maybe dropping subplots), the number of characters and externalizing thoughts and emotions. I agree though that this can be done badly - especially if the movie is changed drastically. My daughter & I hated the adaptation of Eragon for instance - characters & events were changed willy nilly. It was barely the same story. Whereas I'm a bit more ambivalent about the changes made to the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. <br /><br />I'm of two minds about fan fiction - in one sense it's a tribute to the author and the power of the world and characters she (or he) has created. But there is always the risk that fans will take it in directions the author would hate (maybe some of the steamier fan fiction about Snape for instance). And I do think there is significant moral and legal (copyright) problems with taking someone else's story, changing a few minor details and then publishing it as your own. I guess the difficulty is knowing where the line between plagiarism and influence ends. As we are all influenced by the stories we've read and admired. Some theoists argue that there are only about 7 or even 1 basic plot that most stories keep retelling. Christopher Paolini for instance was criticised for borrowing heavily from Star Wars, Tolkien and Anne McCafery's Dragonriders of Pern. And there are definite parallels but I think his particular amalgam is unique. Besides Stars Wars itself is the Hero's Journey (how many stories use that as their structure!). And then sometimes it's just great minds thinking a like. I've had more than one person suggest a resemblance between my fiction and Game of Thrones - but I have never read these books or watched the TV show & I started writing and planning my books in the early 90s. Any resemblance is surely coincidental. <br /><br />I must say though that I've enjoyed some of the adaptations and remakes - eg Westside Story (which is a modern remake of Romeo and Juliette), or March (which actually fills a gap Alcott left as she never really tells us what the father did the year he was away) or, dare I say it, Bride and Prejudice. I think if avid fans were readapting my books 200 or even 400 years after I had penned them - I would be thrilled that my work had such timeless and enduring impact on future generations. Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-79189561835434661312014-07-04T12:56:23.259+10:002014-07-04T12:56:23.259+10:00Hi Lynne,
I completely agree with the points you&#...Hi Lynne,<br />I completely agree with the points you've made. Personality changes are very annoying. Hollywood's Heathcliff, played by Sir Laurence Olivier, was completely different to Emily Bronte's Heathcliff :)<br />I'm sure we've all come across those plot changes where only the names are kept the same.<br /> And those fanfiction authors who publish their material as original work, expecting the established fan base from the original to latch onto them, are a bit cheeky and unethical.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-30747509182429309742014-07-04T12:45:47.772+10:002014-07-04T12:45:47.772+10:00Hi Elaine,
What you say may be the reason why seve...Hi Elaine,<br />What you say may be the reason why several modern authors have taken on the challenge to write these sequels (or companion books). They get wondering, 'what would happen if...?' and it goes on from there.<br />I still can't help wondering if they'd be so bold if they knew the authors were still alive, possibly willing to give feedback :)<br />And I agree, changing the ending just seems a bit cheeky, although I can understand why Disney did it with Hans Christian Andersen's 'Little Mermaid'. Imagine how many heartbroken little girls there would be if they kept it how Andersen had it. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-38318663731294157472014-07-04T12:40:20.158+10:002014-07-04T12:40:20.158+10:00Hi Nola,
The flattery aspect would be apealing, th...Hi Nola,<br />The flattery aspect would be apealing, that would be hard to deny. I once had a reader of 'Picking up the Pieces' who was also a budding film-maker, approach me with the intention of making a screenplay of the book. It sounded exciting but I haven't heard about any progress in years, so it must have petered out.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-15662480231061211562014-07-03T16:44:25.843+10:002014-07-03T16:44:25.843+10:00These issues are something I encounter on a regula...These issues are something I encounter on a regular basis, as I am involved in some major fandoms. When it comes to movie versions of books, I'm okay with some changes, as I know it is a different medium and some minor alterations may make it more effective in the visuals. However, I draw the line at changes that make the characters go against the personalities that were established in the books and plots that deviate so widely from the book's plot to the extent that the characters are only recognisable by their names.<br />When it comes to fanfiction, I don't mind it. I read some of it and I have written some myself. However, again I draw the line at it then being published as original work. You are right, Paula. It feels like cheating to me. They've let someone else do the heavy lifting, milking their success by simply renaming (in cases where these works have been published commercially) characters made popular by someone else. It can be an easier road (we all know being an author isn't easy!) but it seems unethical to me.Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-84528945261313265092014-07-03T13:32:59.831+10:002014-07-03T13:32:59.831+10:00A really interesting issue, Paula.You've raise...A really interesting issue, Paula.You've raised some points of view I'd never considered.<br /><br />I must say that I read books like March with a different perspective. I think of it as the author asking a question such as— what would happen if?<br /><br />Or: I wonder what Rochester's mad wife, Bertha was thinking? <br /><br />Mucking around with Anne of Green Gables or My Sister's Keeper in the TV/Film versions is another thing. I get really annoyed when a major character doesn't belong or they change the ending which changes the whole point of a book—especially when the rationale is that the audience couldn't handle it if the ending wasn't happy!<br /><br />Anyway, an interesting topic! <br /><br />Elaine Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15724607299832750567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-36394022892921761672014-07-03T13:11:43.673+10:002014-07-03T13:11:43.673+10:00You've raised a lot of interesting questions P...You've raised a lot of interesting questions Paula. I guess one of the motivations behind fan fiction is that they assume authors should be flattered that people want to keep their characters alive in new stories. If the new author stays true to the original intent of the first author, it may be okay. But as you say, how do we know what the original author would have thought? <br /><br />I also was disappointed with the TV sequels to Anne of Green Gables because they didn't stick to the books. She never would have fallen for that middle-aged man instead of Gilbert! I really liked March by Geraldine Brooks, but I had to think of it in a different basket to the original Little Women books. Louisa May Alcott was quite liberated and feisty herself, but would she have been happy with Mr and Mrs March's liaison down by the river before they were married? Maybe not. (Still there were a lot of really thought-provoking features of that book that brought home the horrors of the Civil War and the plight of African Americans in a very real way). <br /><br />I'd be very nervous about someone taking my characters and using them in a different way. Especially as a Christian writer, I'd worry that someone with a different worldview might take my character or story and do something that I wouldn't want to endorse. I guess copyright laws can stop that sort of thing in our lifetime, but hopefully we won't be turning in our graves. Interesting food for thought. Thanks for starting the conversation Paula :)Nola Passmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08425394685430146759noreply@blogger.com