OOPS!! I didn't mean to spoil Hamlet for you! Hope you aren't too disappointed!
After reading this chapter I am now thinking back through all of the books I've read trying to make some connections. It's really hard when you are put on the spot. I remember doing a paper in college on Shakespeare and how many of the the plots from his plays were borrowed from other books and plays. I remember being shocked--how could he be considered a genius if he borrowed his ideas from others?? Now though, I realize the author of this book is right--there aren't really any "new" ideas--we read books, watch movies, live life--and from that we (and the authors we read) use those experiences to create new ones.The author said "there's only one story." What does he mean by that? What is the story? Also, do you agree that no story is entirely original? Why?
Bonus: Can you name a book you've read that "borrows" some aspect of the plot from another work?
By the author saying there is only one story, I think he means that nothing ever written anymore is truly original. When you read someone else's work you become influenced by that work. I agree that no story is entirely original because everything is borrowed.
ReplyDeleteTwilight borrows the whole aspect of two lovers not supposed to be together from Romeo and Juliet. Bella and Edward are not supposed to love one another because of the circumstances, and neither are R&J
I think that the author saying that there is only one story means that now authors are never writing their own material now. They are pulling bits and pieces a from other authors works and arranging them so people cant tell. An example of how things now are not original is that when twighlight got big it seemed like vampire books and shows were coming from everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWhen the author says there's only one story I think he means that nothing anyone writes about is new. The concepts author's use to write stories are borrowed from other authors. For example Romeo and Juliet is a concept that several authors use in their books. I also agree that no story is original. In some small way every story written has elements that have been borrowed from other authors.
ReplyDeleteI am half and half agreeing on what the author says in this chapter. Yes, most ideas on books are shared with the same "idea', but some books are based on experience or something that has happened to just that author. So i dont fully believe that all books have the same original idea.
ReplyDeleteOne book that might borrow some aspect of the plot from other work would be a Change of Heart by Jodi Pocult. I think most of her ideas or "main idea" for this story was from the bible.
I agree with the author when he states that "there's only one story." He means to say that every book that is written, there are certain aspects from other books that the author has used in their own story. I believe that when people read books all of their lives and begin to write their own book, their minds remember subconsciously aspects from other books, and incorporate those ideas. So, i don't think that any story is entirely original.
ReplyDeleteWhen the author says that there is truly only one book he means there are no original ideas or all books borrow aspects from other authors. This is perfectly fine, authors may do this because they read works from a certain person growing up and its just embedded into their brains and they write like particular works. So i do agree with the author when he says that, I don't think there are any true original ideas out there anymore I just think they are all "recycled", meaning they are made into new stories.
ReplyDeleteIn Harry Potter the Deathly Hallows The main Character Harry dies and comes back to life to save the world from Voldemort. This is a specific allusion to Jesus Christ sacrificing himself for our sake and then resurrecting.
I agree with kallie and the author on this one. There is only one story. Most people i believed are inspired by something and for example i look at kobe bryant. i would love to be as good as him so i follow his tips, techniques everything. i think its the same in literature that authors get ideas and are inspired by other works to make their own.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that there is "only one story". Every author, whether they realize it or not, has been influenced by another book. When we read something it sticks in our minds and gives us ideas when we are writing our own stories. Therefore, there is no truly original stories.
ReplyDeleteI think, by saying "there is only one story", he means that nothing is really original. Weather we realize it or not, books we have read in the past and movies we have seen in the past stick in our heads, particularly if they are good. We tend to be similar to these in our own righting because thats how most of us learn what we like and our style of writing is by actually reading or watching something. Yes, i agree that no story is entirely original. Authors have to be able to make readers understand what they are trying to get across. Most authors use common things that most people know, such as he mentioned Alice In Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteBONUS:
The first thing that comes to my mind is The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne alludes Hester Pryn to Eve. She is tempted by the priest just like Eve is tempted to eat the apple. They both gave in and suffered the consequences.
I agree with the author if you really stop and think about all the books and what they are about most books have the same basic guidelines. This is especially true with books about love its always got something to do with a guy and a girl in love and some kind of conflict, always different characters in different books, but same basic outline. And I do agree that no one story is entirely original because somewhere in some time frame maybe even written in a diary that was found later in life an idea for a book was taken from some kind of event.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author when he says that there is only one true story, and that stories grow out of other stories. Most literature that includes a love-story, a quest, or some kind of conflict usually follows the same guidelines. So we are able to recognize familiar components of a story that we had previously read and are able to predict what is going to happen later on in the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author that there is only "one" story. Other authors get their ideas from books previous written and they base their work off of that. I do think there is not a book entirely original but I would have to give credit to some authors who come up with random topics to write about. In a way it is sad that a lot of books today are based on other works but its understandable because authors run out of things to write about.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author that there is really only one story. I mean not every story is the same or that would be boring, but some stories have the same main idea as other. They are just put with different characters in a different setting but have the same conflict. The first that comes to mind of course is Romeo and Juliet because so many stories follow this plot where there is a forbidden love and well since the last thing I actually read on my own was the Twilight series This is the only example I can think of the name but there are so many more. A lot of Disney movies borrow plots as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that by stating that there is only one story that the author means that everything derives from another. Stories could not happen if there was not something to inspire it so therefore there is only one story. I quite honestly don’t know what the story is, maybe the author is referring to the Bible but I’m still not to sure. I do believe that no story is truly original because without elements from one to influence another there is no other stories, so therefore there is no original story. Except the Bible, that’s truly original but it’s true so it’s not so much a story as facts.
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with the author when he says there is "one" story. By that statement i think he is revealing that at one time or another someone somewhere has been in that same position, felt the same emotions, and written the same story. Of course the stories will differ in their own ways and have a different series of events, but when push comes to shove it is all the same. Proving that no story is truly original.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was really interesting. Now that I think about it a lot of books are "borrowed" from other stories. When the author says there is only "one story" I think he is meaning that all stories (romance, horror, science fiction, etc) come together to form one big story. It also means that, like Lakyn said, someone somewhere has been in that situation, so we can all relate. I think that stories are original to an extent. Once you finish one book I'm sure you can think of another story that was a lot like that book.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when the author says there's only One story, he means that no matter who you are or what your writing, it wont be truly original because someone else has already done it. I also agree that no story is truly original because when your read someone's work, or read something you like, your writing becomes influenced by that piece of work, so until someone comes up with something that has NEVER been done before, it wont be entirely original.
ReplyDeleteThe author is saying that every author borrows form other authors. That there is only one story, all books are linked together. If you think about a vampire book... Ann Rice wrote books about a girl falling in love with a vampire. Now think of Twilight, its the same thing. If you think farther back Women were always falling in love with vampires like Dracula. I agree with the author there is no book entirely original. They are saying the Despicable Me movie is original but when you get into it its just a bad guy trying to take over the world, its just has a twist.
ReplyDeleteBy saying there only one story. stories are about life you can relate to them in some way no matter how (out-there) they are. not because you've dont it yourself but because of some of the problems and trials that story characters are faced with. So every story is the same is cretin aspects. So in a way yes there is only one story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author in that saying there is only one story, that story just so happens to be life. Life in general is a story that everyone lives and everyone knows. Every human has had the same experience some worse than others, but it all is the general idea. I think this is where the author gets this idea.
ReplyDeleteThe short story that we read in English, "Sucker" reminds me a lot of "Of Mice and Men" the story line is somewhat the same.
I don't exactly know what he meant by saying there is only one story. Maybe its his dedication to the Shakespearean stories or maybe he is saying that all stories are relating to something. I disagree with the statement though. There is always a different story. For example in a disagreement there are always at least two sides to it. If every story were the same that would be like saying we as people are all the same.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author. I believe that there is only one story. And that story is called Life. Everything we read or watch is all part of what we call “life”. Life can be looked upon as being a story. Our lives include everything we think, read, and watch. So, that makes every story ever made is in our lives, if we choose to let it enter. Every genre of a story can be found in life. It is the ultimate story. Life is the greatest story ever “written”. And, what makes it better is that it is a choose-your-own-adventure story. Everything in it can be changed or altered in anyway you choose. Because of this, i believe that no story is ever entirely original. Authors make their stories through the thoughts that enter their minds. These can be from reading other books, watching movies, or just plain living life. These cause ideas to form in their minds and inspire them to write their story. So, when they write these stories, it is already after the thing that inspired them. That becomes the past. And, since life is just one big story, anything that comes out of the past is not entirely original. A book that i have read that “borrows” some aspect of the plot from another work is Animal Farm. The novel has a similar aspect of the Bolsheviks overthrowing the Czar in Russia. This is taken from “real life” and, as i have already stated, it is just as much another work as a book or movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author as well, I think that their is only one story through all of literature. Sure there is always different characters, but the all have the same concept. Like between books like Harry Potter, and Lord of the RIngs, they have the same concept as they must defeat a certain evil or overcome something.
ReplyDeleteThe author says that there's only one story, and I agree with that. The one story is life, from which all literature is written. Therefore, if there is only one story, it makes sense to say that no work of literature is truly original. I think this can be applied to more than just the literary arts, I think it can also be applied to visual art, because every artist draws inspiration from life. However, I think the word unoriginal has a negative connotation to it. I’m sure it would offend a writer to have his work called unoriginal, even if the word wasn’t used in an offensive way. I know personally, that as an artist, it’s a struggle to do something new that will stand out from the norm and to captivate an audience. Thinking about it, though, I’m sure it’s better to be unoriginal that to do something that is a cliché, which is overdone to the point of being horrible. In my personal opinion, Twilight falls into this category. I’ve never been a fan of romantic stories of any kind, wether they’re romantic comedies or romantic tragedies, because I feel that there are MAJOR clichés in the romance department. But then again, that’s my personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is only one story in literature. Authors write about life, whether is their life, the life they wish to live, or the life of someone else. Everyone relates to stories because there is always a character that they relate to. Also, authors often "borrow" a lot of their ideas from other works of literature.
ReplyDeleteIn The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis uses a Biblical reference when Aslan dies in place of Edward, just like Jesus died in place of us, and then rises from the grave.
My dad is a musician and he use to write songs and preform songs a lot and he always would tell me that there is no original thought anymore. He would say that there are only so many notes and that all u can do is mix them up and try to make it stand out different than someone else's and i think the same is true for literature, u can have a story with a "twist" but there is no original thought anymore. More than likely anything u write someone else has already wrote something similar to it. Every story has some kind of universal idea to it. I agree that authors write about life.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know what the author means by 'there's only one story.' I get the basic idea, but I just don't agree. Sure, there are certain aspects repeated in each story. You can often read something and realize you've read it before, or something like it. Forbidden love is old as time, maybe people from different tribes loved each other, people of different religions, anything like that. Friendships, betrayal, you can always find it in a story to some degree. I've read a lot of books though, and each is original to me. Even those I don't like and think suck, are original in how they suck. If that makes sense. To say all stories are the same is to say all lives are the same. In a way, they are. But in my belief, everyone affects someone, who affects someone else and so forth. Maybe story leaves its own imprint? I really don't know. I know to me, each book I read is its own unto itself, all the characters are their own.
ReplyDeleteBonus: Stephanie Meyer has stated each of the Twilight books had a similar theme to a classic. I think she said Twilight's was Pride and Prejudice, New Moon's was Wuthering Heights? So on and so forth.