Originality

I want to talk about originality. Not because I have some conclusive statement on it, but because it’s an important topic.

The Hunger Games movie is coming out in March, and I’m quite excited. I thought that the first two books were very good – fast paced, pretty good characters, sufficient complicity of plot. (we will not mention the third book. I am trying to ignore its existence). However, my younger sister is constantly pointing out that the books’ idea is not original. There was a book/movie (With Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson!) called The Running Man. This has some basic things in common with the Hunger Games: future post-apocalyptic U.S., evil government, put people in a televised competition to the death as a way of subduing the rebellious. There was another book before that which she mentioned, that again has the same plot features.

I’m perturbed over this. I believe in the old adage “nothing is new under the sun”. So, loosely speaking, I think that some themes and ideas will come up again and again.

Does time make any difference? The Running Man came out in 1982. Since most younger people are unfamiliar with it, is that why the Hunger games can get away with a very similar storyline? I’ve also heard that the Aragorn books are pretty similar to the Lord of the Rings. I’m just curious about what circumstances decide what things are too similar and what things can get away with it.