Note: This course will be offered in Spring 2014 as an extension online course. The description has not yet been approved for that offering. After Spring 2014, use for general information only.

UNCW MFA students cannot take this course.

Course Description

GLS 592: Inspiration, Appropriation, and Theft: Fair Use in the 21st Century

Instructor: Johannes Lichtman

From the Roman Arch of Constantine--a monument literally built from pieces of other monuments--to Shakespeare's reliance on Ovid's interpretation of Greek myths, artists have always borrowed and/or stolen from one another. But what is the difference between the plagiarism of disgraced contemporary novelists and the appropriation of Shakespeare? Picasso said, "Good artists borrow; great artists steal." T.S. Eliot said, "Immature poets borrow; mature poets steal." Who does the quote belong to? Can it belong to anyone?

Through the study of novels based on earlier novels, collaged nonfiction, erasure poetry, recurring images in visual art, cover songs, and musical mashups we will explore the world of artistic appropriation and intertextuality.

Assessment criteria will include reading responses, a final critical essay, and a creative assignment based on the reinterpretation of published work.

Last Update: March 18, 2013