This whole fan fiction thing, with copyright discussions and everything, has had me thinking lately: what is original? I believe I mentioned, at some point, the "original work" in comparison to fanfiction based on said work. I know this is somewhat cliché, and has been discussed before, but how can we really define an original work? Let's look at Harry Potter, since that's what we've been discussing. I haven't read most of Rowling's books, but I'm guessing that many of her story lines are "original," in that she didn't base them particularly on any other stories. However, much of the content that fills her books is borrowed from myths and folklore. Many of the novels I like to read are based at least in part on fairytales and the like. How do we draw the line? Why is it ok for Rowling to draw heavily on other stories, but more questionable for someone else to write a story drawing on her books for their characters or what-not?
I don't expect an answer will be forthcoming on this one any time soon...
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