Fact, Fiction and Plagiarism
I have been reading a bit about research as a matter of interest to myself at the moment, and came across this interesting article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette which talks about how more and more, the task of separating fact from fiction is becoming the author's job. It has some interesting things to say about the number of errors coming through in published works and why this is occurring.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08083/866758-74.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml
Also finding some interesting stuff on plagiarism (alleged) in historical fiction. Some of you might have heard of the dust up a while ago when Ian McEwan was accused of plagiarising another writer's biography for his novel Atonement and how several authors, Margaret Attwood among them said that if such were the case then their novels ought to be marked down as plagiarised as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/books/07pync.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin
There is a copy of a letter from Thomas Pynchon on the above article which is really good!
And this podcast is interesting, too.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5367135&m=5367136
I thought folks might find these interesting and I'd love to hear/read your thoughts on them?
ETA these two quotes which are appropriate:
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-Albert Einstein
"Plagiarize!
Let no one else's work evade your eyes!
Remember why the Good Lord made your eyes!
So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize!
Only remember always to call it, please, 'Research'."
- Tom Lehrer, Lobachevsky
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08083/866758-74.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml
Also finding some interesting stuff on plagiarism (alleged) in historical fiction. Some of you might have heard of the dust up a while ago when Ian McEwan was accused of plagiarising another writer's biography for his novel Atonement and how several authors, Margaret Attwood among them said that if such were the case then their novels ought to be marked down as plagiarised as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/books/07pync.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin
There is a copy of a letter from Thomas Pynchon on the above article which is really good!
And this podcast is interesting, too.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5367135&m=5367136
I thought folks might find these interesting and I'd love to hear/read your thoughts on them?
ETA these two quotes which are appropriate:
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-Albert Einstein
"Plagiarize!
Let no one else's work evade your eyes!
Remember why the Good Lord made your eyes!
So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize!
Only remember always to call it, please, 'Research'."
- Tom Lehrer, Lobachevsky