When Does Reuse Become Inappropriate?

          It is often said that there are no new ideas in the world anymore. This concept is indeed strengthened by the fact that narratives, ideas, images and the like are constantly recycled in today’s media. But the reuse of these concepts is complicated. Sometimes the reuse of ideas is embraced, while occasionally the reuse of notions is considered inappropriate.  The most common reuse practice in today’s society is using the narrative of a literary novel to form a movie or show. When the use of the narrative is direct, than ample credit is given and thus it becomes appropriate. But when the inclusion of a narrative is more implicit, then the credence of the reuse is more difficult to ascertain. What determines the appropriateness of a re-appropriation of a particulary narrative is the understanding of the original narrative, a correspondence between purpose of both works and a respect of the original work of art.

            An example of a suitable reuse of a literary narrative is the show Sex and the City. This show, while firmly based on the novel by the same name, is also greatly informed by the Victorian novel The House of Mirth by, Edith Warton. The writers of Sex and the City utilize the conceptual framework and social critique of this novel in order to enrich the story of young single women inhabiting a world where marriage is the only answer to a complete life. The basic story is the same in The House of Mirth and the inclusion of social critique firstly shows a true understanding of Warton’s novel, and as the stories line up, each work is attempting to concur the same objective. Finally the writers take great pains to include Warton’s social critique on women’s constant subversive role in society as a foundational aspect of the show indicates great respect for Warton’s work.

            A negative example of re-appropriation is the novel and musical Wicked. These works use the characters from L. Frank Baum’s seminal children’s series The Oz books. Baum’s original works amount to a total of fourteen books, which bring the reader to a new universe with complex themes and literary devises. However, Wicked does not seem to take into account any of the intricacies of Baum’s work and instead just recreates the characters. The themes of innocence and loss are understood, but the purpose of Baum’s works is ignored. Furthermore, the respect is not present in either the novel or musical Wicked, because Baum is not used for his literary genius, but for his characters, which are reused with little regard for their original purpose.

            Without a doubt, in today’s ideas are constantly being recycled, the understanding, respect, and purpose of the original concept must be fully recognized. This must be on the forefront of people’s minds in a time of Google and YouTube, where images, ideas, narratives and the likes can easily be copied and spread.  If the politics behind reuse is ignored, than society could trap itself into a place where not only does there appear to be no original ideas, but where these original ideas are misunderstood and disrespected.