(no subject)
An attempt at a poll:
Ever found yourself slightly resenting the author of a favorite book, on the grounds that you could have written the same book yourself?
I'm not talking about books which you simply like a lot. I'm talking about books whose content and themes are very close to your own preoccupations, and authors whose writing style closely mirrors your own. I'm talking about books which you legitimately might have independently reproduced if given the right amount of time, talent, and publishing-industry connections. Your version might not have been identical to the published version, but it would have been similar enough to get you charged with plagiarism or written off as a copycat.
Some books I might have come up with on my own under the right circumstances:
1) The Areas of my Expertise (but without the obsessive focus on hobos)
2) Mental Hygiene (a coffee-table book about educational filmstrips)
3) The Haunting of Hill House
4) Virtually anything by David Skal or Richard Ellis
This works for TV and movies too. For instance, I can see myself coming up with "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" or some of the stuff on "Mr. Show"...and if I were ever to try stand-up comedy, I'm guessing I would be quickly dismissed as an awkward fusion of Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg.
Anyone else want to try?
Ever found yourself slightly resenting the author of a favorite book, on the grounds that you could have written the same book yourself?
I'm not talking about books which you simply like a lot. I'm talking about books whose content and themes are very close to your own preoccupations, and authors whose writing style closely mirrors your own. I'm talking about books which you legitimately might have independently reproduced if given the right amount of time, talent, and publishing-industry connections. Your version might not have been identical to the published version, but it would have been similar enough to get you charged with plagiarism or written off as a copycat.
Some books I might have come up with on my own under the right circumstances:
1) The Areas of my Expertise (but without the obsessive focus on hobos)
2) Mental Hygiene (a coffee-table book about educational filmstrips)
3) The Haunting of Hill House
4) Virtually anything by David Skal or Richard Ellis
This works for TV and movies too. For instance, I can see myself coming up with "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" or some of the stuff on "Mr. Show"...and if I were ever to try stand-up comedy, I'm guessing I would be quickly dismissed as an awkward fusion of Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg.
Anyone else want to try?