An old friend published a sci-fi on-line novel recently, and I just managed to figure out how to download it from Amazon. I became excited about certain correlations that I saw with another fantasy novel, but I'm afraid he might be a bit sensitive, and rightly so, about having his originality taken into question!
Frankly, I think pure originality is overrated and doesn't really exist. Every author I love has been inspired by previous books, films, or myths--even if they don't remember or admit it. Honestly, they often take different elements and put them together in a unique way to make something greater than the original work--or at least greater for their era...more suited to modern day.
There is such a thing as coincidence, though, but I definitely don't remember everything that I have read! When I was little, I started to try to write a story, and I was terribly disheartened because I could clearly see where most of the elements of my story were derivations of various bits of my beloved books. I thought I wasn't original enough, so I gave up.
As I've become more well-read, though, I've seen rampant 'inspiration' for new authors from older materials. C.S. Lewis, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, practically stole his whole opening third of his book with the children heading off to their old uncle's country house at wartime from Edith Nesbit's Five Children and It. Which book is more famous?
I couldn't believe all of the correlations between Meyer's Twilight series and the Buffy and Angel television shows, actually. It seems to be only certain seasons (perhaps she watched them sporadically), but I suspect she doesn't know how much they influenced her stories.
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series included many references to Greek and Celtic mythology, such as Minerva McGonagall (Minerva is the Roman Athena), Argus Filch (Argus has the 100 eyes and is a guard in Greek mythology), etc. She's simply peppering her work with literary mythological references, and I was very excited when I independently read in a book about British legends about a Celtic queen who was buried between modern-day Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station (you know, Platform 9 3/4!). However, I remember feeling a bit dismayed when I read British author Diana Wynne Jones' books and seeing many strong correlations with the plots and elements of her stories. At first I was a bit upset, thinking Rowling 'stole' the ideas, and then I realized that Rowling's books were better and I was glad she'd been inspired. Pullman, too, has many elements that seem inspired by Jones. She's not as great a writer as either of them, though!
The Percy Jackson books have been a big deal to us lately (Greek-myth based stories), and my favorite childhood series by Lloyd Alexander was set in a Welsh-mythology background. J.R.R. Tolkien was clearly inspired by Norse mythology.
Anyhow, I suppose I'm going on about this because the demand for originality affected me personally as a young potential writer and because, frankly, I am quite defensive of all my cherished authors. The ability to tell a great story has to do mostly with the author's wit and phrasing, in my opinion, and the ability to bring the story elements into a congruent whole. The actual story elements come second, but of course are important. I love seeing correlations anymore, as they seem to give me 'hooks' on which I can begin to understand a new fantasy realm, and they make me feel better about my own childhood writing attempt!
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