“True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.” - Edith Wharton
Originality is possible in both ideas and stories. Every individual approaches subject matter from a fresh perspective. How a person views and portrays stories, or anything in life, is sculpted by that individuals personal experiences. Therefore, because no two people have the same backgrounds, their outlook will differ in some way. This makes it possible to have originality. Like Edith Wharton said, although the subject matter may be the same, no two story is alike; every author sheds a new light. Hypothetically, lets say both you and I are looking at the same cloud and we come to the conclusion that the cloud resembles a giraffe. Now we both write a story based on the creature we think the cloud resembles. Undoubtably our stories will be different because our brains do not work the same. My giraffe may be magical, and yours may be a giraffe in a zoo. However, neither you or I could accuse the other of unoriginality merely because they are both based on the same animal. Our stories are original because the manifestation of the giraffe in our stories are not the same. That is the essence of originality - the ability to take a familiar material and mold it into a new story.
For example, take Dracula and Twilight. Both center around vampires, but the two could not be more different. Not only are the plot lines very different, but the portrayal of the vampires themselves differ greatly. Dracula is a monster. The Cullen vampires are now idolized in our society as gentle and heroic. Stephanie Meyers adapted the vampire into a new and original creature.
Originality exists.
I liked your analogy with the giraffe in the zoo and the giraffe in peoples imagination. It reminded me of the way people read books. When I read I imagine the words in my head and images are created and I know that those images are not the same as in the head of the person next to me; even though they are reading the same text. I liked your article it seemed philosophical but that also leaves room for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that originality comes from each individual. The analogy of the giraffe is very helpful in explaining your idea, but as far as the Dracula/Twilight differences, I don't truly find that Stephanie Meyer was 100% original in writing it. Vampires are something that have been around for hundreds of years, and have been written about in even more books. However, because Stephanie Meyer did not create the image of a vampire, I don't believe that she was 100% creative. She merely adapted the vampire.
ReplyDeleteI think that your giraffe analogy is the perfect example of how two people have two different ideas. Not everybody thinks the exact same way and that is why there are so many adaptations of the same stories. I enjoyed your Edith Wharton quote and thought that it was very relevant to this blog post; it fit in perfectly. I think that your post answered the prompt and gave great visual images. When I walk outside I will look for a cloud and try to figure out what shape it is.
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