Book contents
- The World of Bob Dylan
- The World of Bob Dylan
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Time to Say Goodbye Again
- Part I Creative Life
- Part II Musical Contexts
- Part III Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 12 American Literature
- Chapter 13 World Literature
- Chapter 14 The Beats
- Chapter 15 Theatre
- Chapter 16 Visual Arts: Goya’s Kiss
- Chapter 17 Borrowing
- Chapter 18 Judaism: Saturnine Melancholy and Dylan’s Jewish Gnosis
- Chapter 19 Christianity: An Exegesis of Modern Times
- Part IV Political Contexts
- Part V Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 17 - Borrowing
from Part III - Cultural Contexts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2021
- The World of Bob Dylan
- The World of Bob Dylan
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Time to Say Goodbye Again
- Part I Creative Life
- Part II Musical Contexts
- Part III Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 12 American Literature
- Chapter 13 World Literature
- Chapter 14 The Beats
- Chapter 15 Theatre
- Chapter 16 Visual Arts: Goya’s Kiss
- Chapter 17 Borrowing
- Chapter 18 Judaism: Saturnine Melancholy and Dylan’s Jewish Gnosis
- Chapter 19 Christianity: An Exegesis of Modern Times
- Part IV Political Contexts
- Part V Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
The term “plagiarism” (from the Latin for “kidnapping”) is a pretty blunt instrument with which to try to comprehend the complex relationship of any artist to his or her source materials. It suggests a cartoonish model of artistic inspiration. The devil, named Plagiarism, sits on one shoulder, whispering to the musician, “Ah, go ahead. Lift that phrase (lyrical or musical): no one will ever know.” On the other shoulder the angel, Originality, urges the virtues of inspiration over imitation. It’s a picture of artistic creation as a straightforward struggle between genius and subterfuge, good and evil. No one who had ever struggled to create anything could have come up with it.
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- Information
- The World of Bob Dylan , pp. 205 - 213Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021