Theft vs. Creativity
There’s an interesting discussion going on at Peter Davids blog about Michael Moore’s use of the title “Fahrenheit 9/11″ for his latest film and Ray Bradbury allegedly being unhappy with it.
Now this intrigues me not so much because I care whether Ray Bradbury likes Michael Moore’s politics or not (I really don’t) but because of the issue it raises about when its acceptable to incorporate another person’s work into your own.
Some clearly see this use as outright theft. Me I see it as a perfectly reasonable application of creativity. Moore didn’t steal Bradbury’s concept or his story. He simply took a title which has a certain resonance and played with it.
If that sort of building on what has gone before, is no longer acceptable, then can we actually produce anything remotely interesting or creative anymore? Pretty much all the greatest works of literature in our history are based on previous works to one degree or another.
Just thinking out loud.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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