Is this plagiarism?

Kakero · 07-26-2006, 05:56 AM

I'm writing a story/novel/book. And there's happen to be a famous quote I saw in a movie and I use the quote in my story. Would this be called plagiarism?

For example : "Life is like a box of chocolate" in Forest Gump movie.

Now, how if I switch some words in the quote to make it different, would it still be called plagiarism?

For example : "Life is like a pack of candy"

Luvian · 07-26-2006, 06:00 AM

Good question, I really don't know. I guess if it's different enough it should be ok.

That remind me, I've been really busy, I need to catch up on pms.

Legolas · 07-26-2006, 06:17 AM

It's plagiarism when you cite the work of others without mentioning the source or use different wording to pass others' ideas off as your own.

In the example above, you'd be fine as most quasi-wisdoms and sayings of the type are more or less public property.
If you start quoting whole paragraphs or even the entire scene, that would be plagiarism. If you change the exact wording it might still be plagiarism, but it becomes easier to defend it as being a parody on a famous movie, which is allowed.

Variol (Farseer) Elmwood · 07-26-2006, 08:15 AM

You could say, Life is like a Bag of Bertie Botts Beans!

Dundee Slaytern · 07-26-2006, 08:24 AM

Life's like a tub of jellyfishes. You never know when you're gonna get stung.

Kakero · 07-26-2006, 08:48 AM

Thanks for the reply Legolas. At least now i can write my story in peace.

That was just an example fellas, not that I really want to type that particular forest gump quote.

Iron Greasel · 07-26-2006, 12:04 PM

Well, in literature it's never plagiarism. It's intertextuality.

Kyrvias · 07-26-2006, 12:10 PM

That is so going in my personal dictionary.

Larry_OHF · 07-26-2006, 12:15 PM

There was a University girl up North (Harvard??) that wrote a book and it was highly sought after and praised by critics until somebody noted that a sentence she used in it was a bastardization of a sentence from another work. In her version, she switched the word order in a list around, and added one of her own words. This was enough to get her dropped from her publisher, expelled from the university and all that followed.

Variol (Farseer) Elmwood · 07-26-2006, 01:23 PM

Yeah, but she probably got real' famous anyway, right?

07-26-2006, 06:00 AM	#2
Luvian Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 27, 2001 Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Age: 44 Posts: 6,763	Good question, I really don't know. I guess if it's different enough it should be ok. That remind me, I've been really busy, I need to catch up on pms. __________________ Once upon a time in Canada...

07-26-2006, 06:17 AM	#3
Legolas Jack Burton Join Date: March 31, 2001 Location: The zephyr lands beneath the brine. Age: 40 Posts: 5,459	It's plagiarism when you cite the work of others without mentioning the source or use different wording to pass others' ideas off as your own. In the example above, you'd be fine as most quasi-wisdoms and sayings of the type are more or less public property. If you start quoting whole paragraphs or even the entire scene, that would be plagiarism. If you change the exact wording it might still be plagiarism, but it becomes easier to defend it as being a parody on a famous movie, which is allowed. __________________ Say NO to the Trouser Tyranny!

07-26-2006, 08:15 AM	#4
Variol (Farseer) Elmwood Jack Burton Join Date: May 16, 2003 Location: Dartmouth, NS Canada Age: 59 Posts: 5,634	You could say, Life is like a Bag of Bertie Botts Beans! __________________ A MAN WHO WANTS FOR NOTHING HAS INFINITE WEALTH. (me)

07-26-2006, 12:04 PM	#7
Iron Greasel Fzoul Chembryl Join Date: July 13, 2004 Location: Finland Age: 36 Posts: 1,701	Well, in literature it's never plagiarism. It's intertextuality. __________________

07-26-2006, 12:15 PM	#9
Larry_OHF Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Midlands, South Carolina Age: 49 Posts: 14,759	There was a University girl up North (Harvard??) that wrote a book and it was highly sought after and praised by critics until somebody noted that a sentence she used in it was a bastardization of a sentence from another work. In her version, she switched the word order in a list around, and added one of her own words. This was enough to get her dropped from her publisher, expelled from the university and all that followed. __________________

07-26-2006, 05:56 AM	#1
Kakero 40th Level Warrior Join Date: March 24, 2002 Posts: 10,215	I'm writing a story/novel/book. And there's happen to be a famous quote I saw in a movie and I use the quote in my story. Would this be called plagiarism? For example : "Life is like a box of chocolate" in Forest Gump movie. Now, how if I switch some words in the quote to make it different, would it still be called plagiarism? For example : "Life is like a pack of candy"

07-26-2006, 08:24 AM	#5
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	Life's like a tub of jellyfishes. You never know when you're gonna get stung.

07-26-2006, 08:48 AM	#6
Kakero 40th Level Warrior Join Date: March 24, 2002 Posts: 10,215	Thanks for the reply Legolas. At least now i can write my story in peace. That was just an example fellas, not that I really want to type that particular forest gump quote.

07-26-2006, 12:10 PM	#8
Kyrvias Lord Ao Join Date: May 15, 2005 Posts: 2,092	That is so going in my personal dictionary.

07-26-2006, 01:23 PM	#10
Variol (Farseer) Elmwood Jack Burton Join Date: May 16, 2003 Location: Dartmouth, NS Canada Age: 59 Posts: 5,634	Yeah, but she probably got real' famous anyway, right? __________________ A MAN WHO WANTS FOR NOTHING HAS INFINITE WEALTH. (me)

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