Sunday

Originality. Is it dead?

Are there any truly original stories left?

Harry Potter – the tale of an orphan living with his aunt and uncle, from where he is rescued by a wise, bearded man, who turns out to have magical powers. It is revealed to the young gent that his father also possessed these powers. Later, in the finale, our hero is forced to see off a threat from a bad man who we understood killed his parents.

Original? Well here’s the story of Luke Skywalker.

Star Wars (1977 – Episode IV) - the story of an orphan living with his aunt and uncle, from where he is rescued by a wise, bearded man, who turns out to have magical powers. It is revealed to the young gent that his father also possessed these powers. Later, in the finale, our hero is forced to see off a threat from a bad man who we understood killed his parents.

Plagiarism? No, they just share a similar story, and this has been going on for as long as tales have been told. Take the following from a few thousands years ago:

A child is born on Dec 25th; a boy, born to a virgin, and the only son of God. The birth is heralded by a star and announced by angels. He grew up, going on to resist temptation and walk on water. Death came in the form of a crucifixion and he was buried in a tomb, from which he was resurrected after three days and hailed as the savoir of humanity.

You might recognise this story as the tale of Horus, allegedly written thousands of years BC.