Originality in art and literature.
The Seven Basic Plots:
Based on : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots.
Why We Tell Stories is a 2004 book by Christopher Booker, a Jungian-influenced analysis of stories and their psychological meaning. Booker worked on the book for 34 years
Here are they:
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The quest
Voyage and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth.
Do have a look at the material given under the link please.
2} I quote:
Was Pablo Picasso was a master thief ?
[ https://smartblogger.com/sin-of-originality/]
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” ~ Pablo Picasso
You probably think of Picasso as a champion of originality, right?
He helped create the first collage. He was one of the leaders of the Cubist movement. He invented constructed sculpture.
But the truth?
He snatched success formulas from other painters.
For instance:
• He used a scene from Las Meninas – a 17th century painting by Diego Velázquez, and he created 44 new paintings based on that scene.
• He copied the central figure: five-year old Margaret Theresa – the favorite daughter of King Philip IV.
• He imitated the arrangement: the maids of honor, the dwarfs, and the reflection of the king and queen are all snatched from Velázquez’ painting.
• He even re-painted the large dog.
Does anyone think Picasso committed plagiarism?
I don’t think so.
Why would his 44 paintings all hang in the Picasso museum in Barcelona?
Picasso didn’t plagiarize, because he didn’t outright copy. He added his personal touch and his own style to create new paintings – his interpretations of the same scene.
And that’s the secret to success.”
The subject is complex and multidimensional.
The queries I raise here are:
1)
Do you think the 7 plots cover almost all the stories that were penned so far the world over ?
2)
Did Picasso steal ? Did he infringe copyright ?
Kindly do study the issue carefully and reply.
This isn’t a sob- story !
Regards. I shall, depending upon the replies move ahead.
Hello Abhi
Interesting post so thank you. I have tried to place any of the (many) favourite stories I have read outside of these seven constructs and I have come to the conclusion that they are pretty much comprehensive. I believe that all stories have elements of these seven principles, some more overt than others. I even took a currently popular novel, Fifty Shades Of Grey, assuming that since this is a story largely concerned with the edgier side of sexuality it wouldn’t fit – but it does because there is both a quest (of sorts) and a rebirth (of sorts). I think these seven principles have been recycled ever since story telling began; back to the dawn of time, when it was all handed down by word of mouth through the generations.
Which brings me onto your second point about Picasso and possible plagiarism. No I don’t believe he was guilty of that – what he (and every truly great artist) employed was the ability to look at previous work through the lens of his genius and re-interpret, so that a new variation of an endless theme was created. Fine art, like music, is finite at the material level: There are only so many colours on a pallette, just like there are only so many notes to a chromatic scale. The talent of a gifted artist is to embrace these restrictions, and to re-cycle themes, in such a way that they appear completely fresh and original. Ok, long reply, so I apologise, but you did set me thinking on this one 🙂
“I think these seven principles have been recycled ever since story telling began; back to the dawn of time, when it was all handed down by word of mouth through the generations.”
“The talent of a gifted artist is to embrace these restrictions, and to re-cycle themes, in such a way that they appear completely fresh and original. Ok, long reply, so I apologise, but you did set me thinking on this one.”
It looks I replied to you as Abhi, if you wrote the blog in my place.
Our colour may vary, but the cardiac waves do synchronize almost perfectly. Friends ?
I would welcome very elaborate replies, so never be reticent dear. Umpteen thanks.
Abhilaaj, unfortunately this blog is instructive but not original. Comedy and tragedy cover all stories but I would not cal those two a plot line. I am not well informed enough in visual art to comment.
Why Picasso?,any school child can do what he does.
Many great artists have used art from the past, what they bring is their own particular vision grown from and nurtured by their own time, environment and context. Often science and technology plays a part, for example the invention of the camera, oil paint, new substances like film and recently digital imagery. What a great articst does is bring a unique vision , for example in Picasso’s case cubism.
” What a great articst does is bring a unique vision , for example in Picasso’s case cubism.”
That was true,