The Paradox of Self-Plagiarism |
Is it possible to steal from yourself? At first blush, the question seems like a blatant contradiction. How can you be accused of taking something that is already yours?
But in a culture that places a premium on originality, any hint of appropriation tends to be viewed with disfavor, and this distaste extends to making use of one’s own prior work.
The phenomenon of self-plagiarism is largely understudied, but a few common elements can be discerned, and they’re worth considering in coming to terms with how and why it occurs.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before
Just as someone might recycle the same joke without realizing they’ve told it before—and to the same person—an artist or writer might regenerate an earlier idea without the glimmer of recognition that would warn them about its provenance. The result is self-plagiarism.
There is some reason to believe that self-plagiarism becomes more common as an artist or writer ages. During a long and prolific career, it becomes almost impossible for them to keep track of everything they have physically produced—or just thought about producing.
Creatives must reject countless ideas to concentrate on the handful that appear to be the most promising. But upon further consideration, some of these discards may be considered worthy of execution, and this process may happen more than once.
Two examples will serve to illustrate this. B. F. Skinner wrote that “One of the more disheartening experiences of old age is discovering that a point you have just made—so significant, so beautifully expressed—was made by you in something you published a long........