Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Pastiche
After reading "The Case of Death and Honey" I must say that I am impressed with the author's ability to duplicate Conan Doyle's writing style and retain that unmistakable Holmes character. I realized that I am quite fond of a number of "pastiche" type works not only limited to literature, but art, music, and films as well. One example is the great Sergio Leone film "A Fistful of Dollars" starring Clint Eastwood. This film is almost an exact copy of Akira Kurosawa's classic samurai film "Yojimbo" only it is set in the American Old West instead of feudal Japan. This practice of imitation is great for fans of the original works who unfortunately will not receive any more because the original author may be deceased. It also allows for a re-imagining of a classic work to appeal to a new audience. So, what are you guys thoughts on this practice of imitation? Do you prefer that an author write only in his or her own distinct style, or is it OK to copycat?
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One of my favorite pastiche-style books is Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Much of the book is directly copied from Jane Austen's novel, but he adds in lines about zombies and zombie-killing scenes in a way that fits very well with the characters and the society that Austen wrote about. The opening sentence is a good example: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
ReplyDeleteFor me, it usually depends on whether it's done well or not. They can be really good, in which case it does feel like an extension of the original. I enjoyed the story we read because, as you said, it's a way to read a new story in a scenario when it otherwise wouldn't be possible. But when they're really bad, it can upset fans who want the original left alone.
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