I read The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism, posted on Harpers.org a couple of days ago, and am still thinking about it a great deal. It is hard to describe the essay without spoiling the impact for the reader, but it is definitely several things:
- It very well might change the way you view copyright law, especially if you think you know something about copyright.
- It is an examination of the art of creation, as well as the creation of art, and how each one of these exists because of the incredible commons of knowledge, art and creation that exists within our society.
- It is also, once you finish the essay and begin reading the “KEY” section, revealed to be an interestingly different sort of essay that is suddenly morphed into something very different, and in such a way as to challenge how you address the concepts within it.
Definitely, definitely, definitely read this, and recognize that the spirit, as well as the law, of copyright exists throughout our culture, shaping our thoughts and ideas in ways both subtle and direct.
