Plagiarism Comparison

There is a significant difference between Lethem’s and Rutgers’s definitions of plagiarism. Rutgers uses the definition in a very negative context; they threat the use of plagiarism as if it is a crime. Lethem on the other hand, uses the term in a much more positive sense. He believes that “substantially all ideas are secondhand… drawn from a million outside sources, and daily used… with a pride and satisfaction” (225). Therefore, according to Lethem, just about everyone takes part in plagiarism. One’s ideas are just forms of other’s ideas. But for Lethem, using other’s ideas is a good thing that throughout history has led to many classic forms of literature and entertainment. “If nostalgic cartoonists had never borrowed from Fritz the Cat, there would be no Ren & Stimpy Show… If those don’t strike you as essential losses, then consider the remarkable series of “plagiarisms” that links Ovid’s “Pyramus and Thisbe” with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story… If these are examples of plagiarism, then we want more plagiarism” (214). He does not consider plagiarism to be the presentation of an other’s work as one’s own, but at inspirations for one’s creations. This is important to consider because if one takes either Rutgers’s or Lethem’s views too strongly, one could be hindering their creativity or actually copying the work of someone else. One most consider both views in creating his or her new work – that is walk the fine line between them – to take full advantage of both views.