Man of Honour
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JK Rowling: plagiarist?
- Thread starter Deadly Ferret
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I doubt the plot of the film is similar to any of her plots, but I think it's a bit cheeky to pinch a whole character name. I know neither are particularly unusual, but put them together and they become a lot rarer...
I wonder if she sought permission to use "Harry Potter".
I wonder if she sought permission to use "Harry Potter".
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You come up with a fantasy story that has no parts that could be matched to any other fantasy story and I'll show you that it is no longer fantasy
True, though I think it's a bit much using a whole name created by somebody else. She could have changed Harry for something similar.
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Yeah, could have been Gary Potter or Harry Dotter.
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That Troll is an awful and/or largely unheard of film? Perhaps it is both, I haven't seen it yet and only discovered it today, but that wouldn't excuse the (possible) theft of a character's name.
Hehe, that is a rather long list of 'coincidences'...
I'm not familiar enough with the Potter stories to have an opinion on how heavily the author was influenced by other works, I just think it quite likely she has seen Troll.
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We'll never know whether she's heard of it or not. It's not that big a deal anyway, although if I had a financial interest in Troll I'd be kicking up a fuss.
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It's not sensationalism; this isn't a news story I've posted about. I personally discovered the Harry Potter connection when I looked Troll up on IMDB.
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What are the essential themes? I will write a short story that doesn't fit them!
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Ta. They're broader than I expected, but I'll be back in a while with an original phantasy short story, albeit one which pedants will claim somehow fits into one or more of those categories no doubt...
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Raf the peasant was mooching about the busy city streets. He wasn't watching his step, and managed to fall right down a mysterious glowing hole that had unexplainably appeared in front of him. He came to in the sewers under the city with numerous scrapes and bruises, and could hear an ominous gurgling noise coming from the dark corridor leading South. Nervous and unfamiliar with his surroundings, he jumped to his feet and pegged it in the opposite direction, taking care not to slip in the **** of the forty thousand souls above.
Reaching a fork in the tunnels, the sound now further behind him than it was previously, he tossed the single copper coin in his possession and noted the result by the poor light streaming down from above. He shot off to the left, and bowled into a dead man's skeleton leaning against the wall, a rusty cleaver in its hand. He picked himself up, took the cleaver and went on.
The noise was all but inaudible now, but he still imagined it might be something he'd rather not encounter. His heart was near bursting point but onwards he sprinted until he reached a ladder leading up to a slitted grille through which sunlight shone. At this point he was curious to see what it was...perhaps it was just a mangy old cur with a diseased throat that had also fallen down the magical hole, or maybe it was some sort of water trickling underground. Deciding it prudent not to try to investigate, he discarded the cleaver, raced up the ladder, and emerged safely on the street.
Raf was always a very shrewd & aware pedestrian from that day on, and always watched his step.
The end.
1. Overcoming the Monster (and the Thrilling Escape from Death) - Doesn't apply because there wasn't a monster or deadly threat, except perhaps in his imagination
2. Rags to Riches - Obviously not
3. The Quest - He wasn't on a quest
4. Voyage & Return - He didn't set off on a voyage (a voyage is a journey that one decides to make) he just fell down a hole and found his way back to the streets
5. Comedy - Nothing comical about the story
6. Tragedy - Obviously not
7. Rebirth - Obviously not
Reaching a fork in the tunnels, the sound now further behind him than it was previously, he tossed the single copper coin in his possession and noted the result by the poor light streaming down from above. He shot off to the left, and bowled into a dead man's skeleton leaning against the wall, a rusty cleaver in its hand. He picked himself up, took the cleaver and went on.
The noise was all but inaudible now, but he still imagined it might be something he'd rather not encounter. His heart was near bursting point but onwards he sprinted until he reached a ladder leading up to a slitted grille through which sunlight shone. At this point he was curious to see what it was...perhaps it was just a mangy old cur with a diseased throat that had also fallen down the magical hole, or maybe it was some sort of water trickling underground. Deciding it prudent not to try to investigate, he discarded the cleaver, raced up the ladder, and emerged safely on the street.
Raf was always a very shrewd & aware pedestrian from that day on, and always watched his step.
The end.
1. Overcoming the Monster (and the Thrilling Escape from Death) - Doesn't apply because there wasn't a monster or deadly threat, except perhaps in his imagination
2. Rags to Riches - Obviously not
3. The Quest - He wasn't on a quest
4. Voyage & Return - He didn't set off on a voyage (a voyage is a journey that one decides to make) he just fell down a hole and found his way back to the streets
5. Comedy - Nothing comical about the story
6. Tragedy - Obviously not
7. Rebirth - Obviously not
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*cough* rebirth *cough*
No. A small change in a person's character doesn't constitute the use of such a powerful descriptor.
For argument's sake though, let's pretend I've removed the sentence you quoted. Now which of the seven would you use?
To decide whether to go left or right.
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In order to qualify as a voyage, it must be a long journey (falling down a hole leading to the sewers beneath the street cannot be considered long) to a distant place (thirty feet down doesn't count as distant).
It's nothing like Alice in Wonderland.