Plagurism and Tributes --the Difference

[derrick_mace]

Many people are confused about the difference between plagiarism and making tributes to works, and so was I, until inspiration struck me from the sky.

What was the difference between plagiarism and tributes?

Comments

[dungeonwriter]

I think it's about subtle and creativity.

Being that Code Geass season one is a favorite anime of mine, I decided that the name of the princess in the story (a relatively minor character) would be named Euphemia, as a tribute to her. There are subtle clues to it, both fall in love with someone outside their nationality and both are kind hearted royals. Of course, my Euphemia has a completely different life story, and a completely different biography and are kind hearted in different ways and have different personalities. Most people wouldn't get the similarity, unless they had seen Code Geass, and are looking for it.

I guess the difference is like the difference between an in joke and a bad joke.

[derrick_mace]

Yes, it is about being subtle.

For another example: I can write a vampire story about a girl falling in love with a vampire for a lot of different reasons. The summery looks a lot like it's plagiarizing from Twilight. If I wanted to make Twilight a tribute (Which I personally won't), I would not make the love story the center of the novel itself, but make it "she stared at him, a bit too long" or "she brushed her hand against his." Just implications of love, and not "I'm melting in his honey eyes."

Then again, the very idea of girls falling in love with vampires is too cheesy for me to even consider, let alone try to work around it to make it fitting a tribute.

[salaawa]

Sorry, but I'm afraid I don't really understand what your saying. Your explanations and examples are a bit confusing. Are you talking about a parody or maybe usage of that particular element in the story?

[derrick_mace]

I am saying that using elements from another writer's story in your own works can be plagiarism if the elements form the plot. If they don't, and are just "the small things that heroes chuckle at", then it's a tribute.

[salaawa]

Oh! Yes, that explanation makes a lot more sense. :3 Ironically it's same way I see plagiarism. ;)

[salaawa]

...plagiarism vs. tribute. computer isn't working today

[ebilhamster]

In the interest of fairness (oh look a pun), "fair folk" has been an actual way of referring to fairies/sprites/elves/whatever in folklore for untold eons, and as a result heaping handfuls of authors doing their own versions of fairies and elves have used this term in their work. It's not any more a rip than calling elves elves or fairies fairies :3

[derrick_mace]

Maybe so, but it is almost universally recognized as a Tolkien title, since little other Elf-writers add them without hiding it between the lines and not "Are Elves real? Why are they called the Fair Folk?"

[ebilhamster]

o-o I'm not really following your comment, sorry. Perhaps I'm just having a slow day. Is the "Are elves real? Why are they called the Fair Folk?" quote supposed to be recognizable from somewhere, and what do you mean by hiding it between the lines? (Er, though I am aware what the phrase "between the line" means.) Not trying to be rude, I'm just...not getting it.

Anyway, I have seen the term in many well-written non-rip novels involving elf and fairy races, both played straight to describe the dangerous scary sort and misconstruing "fair" as meaning beautiful and benevolent .-.

[ebilhamster]

fff, I mean "between the lines".

[derrick_mace]

Nailed it.

[kevias]

Actually... That's exactly right. Well put.

[brezhnev]

To me, it's a matter of degree. Shout-outs are OK. But copying oodles of plot points is likely to result from unoriginality. So when Austin Powers copies James Bond, it's OK because it's an obvious takeoff. But when XXX copies Moonraker, it's a big ripoff.

[salaawa]

Exactly.