2. King Solomon wrote, "There is nothing new under the sun." Foster applies this precept saying that all "writing and telling belong to one big story." What does he mean by this? How does this idea add to understanding and the richness of the reading experience? How have you seen this principle in action in your own experience with art in general?
King Solomon and Foster both seem to share a similar opinion in regards to the fact that all texts share ideas and can be placed into a outline that is generally the same. Foster illustrated this with many texts that he referenced throughout his book. Particularly with Grimm fairy tales and Shakespeare. Solomon saw significantly less texts than we have seen today but his idea is something that he would surely still support.
With this assertion, the idea is that the more you read, the more similarities you will see and how it is all basically just the same and just renamed. An easier reading, like a kids book, would be similar to a book that scholars and more educated people can read. The point is that you can break down any story into the same basic components. So with practice, you can read anything. Of course, all art has an influence. However, the most common influence is that of previous artists. Supporting that " there is nothing new under the sun".
When the book "Divergent" came out, a lot of people said it was basically a remake of the book "Hunger Games". Regardless of that accusation, it did well and was talked about for a long period of time. However, it made a lot of people dislike it. It seems that even though all books borrow from one another, you have to be very careful when writing not to let people make too many connections. If their are too many similarities, a book is disliked rather than praised. It is a dangerous line of reference and copying when it comes to writings.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI think the interesting point here is that authors and readers often don't register these connections consciously. This is where we start to move into issues of archetypal theory. These connections are just part of us as human beings, and part of the "One Story." In the case you reference, it might be more a matter of pop trends. I think Foster is talking about works of more literary merit. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both series, but I don't know if the world will remember them in 100 years. Pop/Pulp Fiction and works of art are often different.