Reading Response: Porter

Porter Article and Prompted Analysis

Summary

           

            In his article “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community” James Porter argues that plagiarism, by its mainstream definition, isn’t as blasphemous an accusation as it’s thought to be. Porter defends this by claiming that all writing is interconnected, and originates from many preexisting texts–a la intertextuality. Porter claims that although all texts are born from a variety of texts that have preceded them, any piece of writing is still capable of being original, so long as it presents its information in an idiosyncratic and thoughtful way.

Synthesis

            I hate to keep reverting back to Greene’s article and Kenneth Burke’s metaphor for writing, but Porter’s article in particular riffs off of that idea quite heavily, which is exactly what he’s attempting to defend. Porter says that all texts contain strains of preexisting texts, which is exactly like the newcomer finding a seat in that parlor, listening intently for a while, then jumping in and giving it a try.

Pre-Reading

A list of my inspirations/sources:

Movies

Reading Articles Online

Observing Conversations Near Me

            Really, there’s always a sphere of influence circling around me. I try to stay in tune with pop culture, so usually I’m thinking about some sort of happening within that area.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

4)        When critiquing writing, I tend to look at the sentence structure and content of the piece I’m reading. I’ll get a little hyper-critical when reading a sentence, and I’ll usually think of way to re-word it, undoubtedly strengthening the piece once the correction is completed. (Joke) But without really being made aware of this “acceptability’ theory, I think I’ve operated in a way similar to it when reading. Audience is such a crucial part of any writing that those unfamiliar with the topic described may not be able to see things in the same way one familiar with the topic described would be. When you’re familiar with a subject, content becomes far more important than any sort of grammatical mistake or improper sentence structure. I’ve always thought that truly gifted writers are defined by their ability to recreate a feeling instead describing it. Maybe this doesn’t always apply.

5)        The article that James Porter has written doesn’t necessarily have to be 100% original, and I think he’s acknowledging that in a way that is simultaneously subtle and obvious. Really, how groundbreaking can you be when talking about originality in academic writing? It’s there, and we’re aware of its presence. So, with that in mind, I think all articles about originality are really just the writer’s personal opinion on the topic. He’ll craft his argument in a way that is unique because it is fresh and from a new voice–but pure, unadulterated originality is a pipe dream in today’s society.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

2)        Plagiarism, by my definition, is the blatant usage of someone else’s work, with no credit given to the original author. Naturally, you’re allowed to riff off of existing ideas, and mold them into arguments of your own, so when I think of plagiarism, I tend to see someone crediting themselves for something they in no way, shape or form were attached to in any capacity. Comparing my definition to the one provided on dictionary.com, I’d say that they’re actually rather similar. This leads me to think that plagiarism may not always be the horrendous offense it’s so often seen as.

Meta Moment

            In the past, I’ve credited writers with probably much more than I should have. I was always aware that writers derive inspiration from other writers, and simply the world they inhabit, but I think I was always so enamored by what I was reading that I’d kind of hold these writers in a near god-like position. That’s not to say that this article is the reason for my sudden way of seeing writers differently, but it’s certainly reinforced that idea.

Personal Opinion

            I enjoyed this article. Originality is such a hot-button issue, that’s it’s nice for someone to acknowledge the fact that all those who inspire were inspired themselves. In film, riffing off of other filmmakers is practically celebrated. This doesn’t mean you’re allowed to steal a director’s style completely, but little winks to previous works are usually met with positive remarks.