helene hegemann: a fascinating case of plagiarism

I was reading the newspaper today when I came across an article about Helene Hegemann, a 17-year old German author who recently released her debut novel, Axolotl Roadkill. Hegemann (pictured at right) has been garnering major acclaim, and her novel is selling extremely well, at No. 5 on Spiegel’s hardcover best-seller list. Only thing is, she's been accused of plagiarism.

My initial reaction went a bit like this:

1) Hooray! A successful teen author!

I have read very few books by a published teen author that are actually up to par. A lot of teens can write well for their age, but a very small percentage are actually writing at a level that merits publication. I'm lucky enough to know some of them, but truthfully--most books by teen authors aren't very good. I'm aware this is a generalization, but great teen authors are an exception to the rule. This is just my opinion, and feel free to disagree. But I do believe that teen authors that are actually ready for publication will be featured in bookstores in the years to come. This is why I was excited by Hegemann; she's written a book that people are praising.

2) Oh no, not again...

I was immediately reminded of the controversy surrounding Kaavya Viswanathan, a 19-year old debut novelist from Harvard who wrote a similarly acclaimed novel: How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life. Unfortunately, this book was plagiarized and the whole situation turned into a big, but very fascinating train wreck. In this situation, the accusations were spot-on: wikipedia has the instances of plagiarism clearly documented, and the publisher was forced to destroy all copies of the book and break off Viswanathan's publishing contract.

3) What the heck?

Unlike Viswanathan, Hegemann isn't trying to hide anything. Once the accusations that she plagiarized a whole page, phrases, and ideas from the little-known Strobo by Airen surfaced, Hememann owned up to it . Only, she didn't.

And this is the truly fascinating part...

According to her, she's remixing literature. Wow, Hegemann, you genius! You pioneer of remixing!

Hegemann is so clearly not plagiarizing when she's lifting whole pages from another book without without crediting the original author, and taking lines from blog posts on the internet without crediting the author. Of course this isn't plagiarism.

I haven't read the book, but excuse when when I say OH YES YOU DID in response to her OH NO I DIDN'T.

To me, this "literary remixing" thing sounds like the perfect excuse. Under this oh-so-handy idea, Hegemann isn't copying and pasting into her writing, it's what she intended to do. Hegemann herself said, “I myself don’t feel it is stealing, because I put all the material into a completely different and unique context and from the outset consistently promoted the fact that none of that is actually by me,” according to the daily Berliner Morgenpost.

I wouldn't call not crediting your sources "promoting the fact the none of it is actually by me." To be fair, Hegemann's whole premise rests on the idea of remixing; the story revolves around Berlin teens who see remixing art as a way of expression. It's not the concept of remixing that bothers me; it does sound different in a interesting way--sort of like how authors include quotes at the beginning of chapters, poems from poets, etc to reinforce their own writings. Remixing sounds like several steps further than that, and don't get me wrong--I'm all for experimental literature. The only thing is, when you try to pass off other people's work for your own, it's plagiarism, pure and simple. And even the cloak of innovation isn't enough to make up for it.

Hegemann, didn't really apologize, either. I don't think she really thinks this whole plagiarizing thing is a problem; regarding the alleged copying, she said: "There’s no such thing as originality anyway, there’s only authenticity." Which I think is a pretty cool statement, only this seems to be inspired by her inability to face what she's done. I might give her some benefit of the doubt, only The Local has this in their article.

"For the first edition, she had not “fully understood” the process for acknowledging borrowed material and this had been changed for the second edition."

Somehow, I find it hard to believe that a published author isn't fully acquainted with the nuances of plagiarism. Or how, when her book was picked up by publishers, Hegemann didn't at least mention that some parts of her book had been remixed. I don't buy it that she didn't "fully understand", either. I think it takes the space of about one minute to explain to someone what asking permission to use a source means.

I mean, I know what plagiarizing is. Me, the 16-year-old girl who is about as far away from publishing an acclaimed, bestselling novel as it gets. The adults who are angry here are dismissing Hegemann as part of a generation where "cut-and-paste" is normal and where we just don't understand that copying without crediting is no bueno. And with this quote, Hegemann is trying to say that her failure to credit is due to her youth--due to her different view where remixing isn't anything bad.

And I say, stop making excuses and own up to it. It's not a generation thing; teens my age know copying is wrong, that plagiarizing is wrong. This fault here lies with Hegemann and nobody else--and please don't say it's because adults just don't understand your youthful artistry. I'm sorry, but plagiarizing is not art in any way or form.

And The Irish Times pretty much nailed her in their article:

"The young author admitted having glanced at the “Strobo” blog but denied having read a published volume of the texts.

Yesterday the publisher of the book based on the blog claimed it had sold Hegemann’s father a copy of the book via the internet."

Which to me, furthers my sense that Hegemann is not really pioneering anything; she's excusing herself from something she's to afraid to admit to.

And perhaps the most fascinating thing of all...

Axolotl Roadkill is in the running for a $20,000 award at the Leipzig Book Fair. The judges knew about the plagiarism controversy, and still nominated the book. So apparently, to some literary critics, this whole case of remixing is not only acceptable but worthy of acclaim as well.

And the worst part:

She's giving teen authors a bad name. So now there's Viswanathan and Hegemann, both in the spotlight. And that's what makes me angry; people aren't going to take teen authors, or teens trying to break into an adult-dominated industry seriously when instances like these are widespread.

So, what happens next?

I'll be watching out for this one to see whether the publishing deal falls through or not; somehow, I think not. And I'm curious to see if they're are other instances of plagiarism in her book as well. Read more about this brouhaha at the New York Times.

Helena Hegemann: teen plagiarist or wunderkid pioneer of literary remixing? What do you think?

a blog button and a twitter account, finally!

Whoah.

I guess I got everything done in one fell swoop.

I've been meaning to get a blog button for a while, and now it's on the left hand side underneath my followers gadget.I have conquered the HTML part and survived! (Haha, it took me a while to figure it out.)

I'll be adding a blog button slideshow as soon as I can get to it, let me know if you want to be included.

And also, follow me on twitter! Thanks to everyone who commented on my slightly dazed blog post a few days ago, you've convinced me to give twitter a try. I think this is the link to my profile: http://twitter.com/inwhichagirl

Anyways, I'm feeling alone in the twitter world so I will try to find you guys, but if you'd like me to follow you just post the link in the comments or something.

*is a complete twitter ignoramus*

Okay. *breathes deep* Twitter. Blog button. I can handle all these newfangled shiny things, I can, I can.

Hunger Games 3: Title and cover unveiled!

So I HAD to post this. *loves Hunger Games almost as much as chocolate*

Here's the pretty:
And now we all have to wait until August.

Read more about it here. The stuff from David Levithan is quite funny :)

Hmm, Mockingjay. The rumors that were going around hinted at Victors but I really like Mockingjay. But what does it mean? Thoughts or genius predictions anyone?

Here's what I make of it:

It's cool how the colors of the covers progressed from black to red to blue. The intense shade of red in Catching Fire contrasts with the this third book's sort of mellow blue, which to me suggests a cooling down of things; a resolution. Also, the mockingbird pin has finally come to life and transformed into a real bird (perhaps free will is being liberated at last in Panem?). For The Hunger Games, the bird was a metal pin, in Catching Fire it was looking more lifelike, and in Mockingjay it's finally spreading it's wings. And those round patterns behind the mockingjay have broken apart, which to me might symbolize what happens to Panem and the Capitol--dissolution, change. I'm thinking the Capitol in particular; the dissolving patterns are the center of the book cover, just like the Capitol is the center of Panem. Also, there are three of those circular patterns--which are in the previous book covers too. Does anyone know what those are?

[/failed attempt at analyzing]

*fangirls instead* OMG HUNGER GAMES THREE!!!!

What is this twitter thing you speak of?

Twitter.

What is this madness?

O.o

I mean, I kind of get it. I've been on twitter* a couple of times and I think I even made an account a while back but it just. Doesn't. Make. Sense.

Idon'tunderstandatall.

I get the bird logo, I think. But I don't get the rest of the shenaniganisms** of twitter. The posting. The following. The posting. Mostly, the posting.

Am I confusing you guys too? Sorry if I am--I tend to spew confusion when I'm confused.

Anyhow, I've been thinking I should start tweeting. But I really don't understand. What do you tweet about?

"I went to the store."

"I read a book."

"I'm on page 49."

Or am I missing something? Is there some sort of code or special way or secret subliminal messages in invisible ink that only twitter ninjas know about? Or is twitter really just writing one-two random sentences documenting your life or blog for everyone to see?

I've noticed a lot of bloggers have their own twitter, sort of like a side-by-side operation. And I'm starting to think that maybe I should just learn this twitter thing. Instead of avoiding it like I do myspace and facebook. (I have successfully done so so far, and so what if it's more proof that I need to get with the times? I'm content in my social-networking backwardness. God knows how I even manage to run a blog--it's so...newfangled and sparkly).

Maybe I should just stay out of this whole twittering stuff.

But what do you guys think? Is twitter a great complement to blogging? How does it affect your blogging? Should I actually attempt to wade through the strange world of twitter or am I good with wading through the blogosphere?

* Are twitter-users called tweeters? Twitter-ers? Wouldn't it be funny NOT FUNNY AT ALL if they just went by twits?

**Oh, the unparalled joy of making up words!

daily dose (3)

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly. It showcases inspirational and beautiful pictures.

It's Monday, which means it's time for some pictures to lighten up your day! I had a entirely too much fun looking for pictures this week, haha. Enjoy :)












Credits:
First 4 photos taken from some combination of tumblr/flickr/weheartit
Last photo by Rafal Milach

review: fallen + music

Book Description:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

My Opinion:

I'm baffled by Fallen. Completely and utterly baffled.

It's not that it's a particularly intellectually stimulating text; it's quite the opposite. In fact, Fallen is the run-of-the-mill paranormal romance that tells the story of a normal girl who comes to a new school, falls in love with a gorgeous boy (or two) that actually have [insert fangs, fur, horns, fish tails, wings, webbed feet, bad breath, etc. here] and whose special paranormal specialness is revealed by [insert the sliver of the moon, daylight in which they sparkle, furry v-shaped indentations in their backs, a stinky fish smell etc here]and then she finds out. And the love of course, has no basis, and most of the 400-500 pages are full of hopeless ramblings of an female main character who just loves the way their bodies move, and the kiss is only realized after drawn-out cold-shoulders and misunderstandings. Of course, none of these cliches stops the all encompassing hype for every new book with a pretty cover.

In this case, we'll insert the female main character. She's called Luce, and she has dark hair and white skin. And those are the only characteristics I can come up with, but of course, they're not important, because who needs fleshed out characters? Anyways, Luce is sent to reform school, and this is just a handy setup in which we'll be able to meet the two hot male interests: Daniel (the aloof one) and Cam (the warm friendly one).

The plot from there moves at a slow pace, while Luce encounters both Daniel and Cam, is occasionally frightened by black oozing shadows that only she seems to see, and grapples with the trouble of making friends in a hostile environment. Luce is barely there in Fallen, she wavers in every scene, generally has nothing interesting to say, and quivers quite a lot. Actually, one character sums it up nicely when they tell her, "Lucinda, most of the time, you're a downright bore." Because that's precisely what she is. Her interactions with other characters are half-hearted and irrelevant. But on the other hand, I acutally enjoyed the descriptions of the setting; there was plenty of them, which makes for an a strong atmospheric writing. Which I'm a huge fan of.

But what I'm baffled by: the inconsistencies in this book. I have mixed feelings about Fallen; in one aspect, I enjoyed the setting, and the some parts of the writing. And then for other parts, I completely disliked it. And unfortunately, in this case the dislike is more overpowering than the like.

The inconsistencies of character struck me when Luce is grappling with grief, bedecked in black in a schoolwide funeral, and blaming herself for everything. Her mind wanders and she starts thinking about the flowers she'd gotten from Daniel and if it omg did it mean he was interested in her? These strange jumps stretch out throughout the entire book: Luce will be thinking sombering, very serious and sad thoughts and then...BAM. Omg, Daniel/Cam is so hot! How can Luce like totally not be entranced by their gorgeous bodies and rippling muscles and golden skin and sparkling eyes?

The shifts in good to bad writing and messages is disconcerting, to say the least. Which is why I'm so confused. I feel like Lauren Kate is a better writer than this; there's bits of lovely writing interspersed throughout, and just when I was thinking hey, this book isn't that bad after all, there'll be a line or a paragraph or a scene that completely threw me off and soured my opinion of this book.

And in the end, what stood out is the things that really bothered me. I mean, there's just some lines like:

"Todd's shoulders caved forward like parentheses"

which are absolutely gorgeous, but for the most part there's writing that just bothered me to no end. And it was always in the romance parts where this happened. Somehow, I got the sense that if Kate hadn't been writing a book that was modeled off of Twilight, she could've come up with something much better.

But I figure my complaints aren't making much sense without concrete quotes:

• "Every single step he took away from her made her feel more and more freakishly alone."

So this translates to: [sarcasm] if you're rejected by a boy, you're a freak. God, you poor boyfriend-less freaks out there. [/sarcasm]

• "She could picture him looking buff in a sleek black bathing suit, waving her over to the crew with his big smile, making her feel immediately welcome, even important."

This equates to saying that a girl's sense of worth should be defined by a boy's approval. Am I the only one who has a problem with this?

• "His kiss was the only thing that felt right, the only thing that comforted her, and reminded her there was a reason to go on."

So kissing is the only thing that's going to get you, Luce, to move your butt and do something? This again shows that Luce needs a boy to motivate her into action. Which goes directly against my ideal of a strong female heroine.

• "She could, at the moment, have died for him."

I think this takes the grand prize for creepiness. Luce thinks this after she's been kissed for the first time. Umm...okay? You kiss a guy and, voila...you're ready to sacrifice your life for him? Talk about twisted messages.

The problem here is that the "true love" that endures over everything is based off of nothing but sexual appeal. Daniel is hot, Cam is hot, and Luce is pretty. The bulk of the book consists of descriptions of physical appearances, and Luce continually relates her love of a character back to their physical appearance. This is lust, clear and simple, and I'm not buying it as a love story.

Unless to you, lust is love, I wouldn't recommend this book. If you're a fan of Twilight or Hush, Hush, this book will probably appeal to you, since the elements that bothered me with Fallen probably won't irk you. But if you don't want to further the pervasiveness of helpless girl heroines, sick romances, and tired cliches in YA, don't pick this one up.

My Rating: I give it a 5.75/10. I can't agree with the messages, but the majority of the writing isn't bad.

And now, I'm pretty excited to post Fallen by Franz Ferdinand, one of my favorite bands. Lovely music :)




Did you do a review of Fallen as well? Link it here, don't be shy!

in my mailbox (13)

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Won from Sophistikatied Reviews:

Bought from Costco:

From the trusty used bookstore:

1. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken: Woot for winning a contest and thanks a bunch Katie! I'm really happy because I've been dying to get my hands on Brightly Woven and this is my second ARC and such a lovely book too :D

2.The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: There's a movie coming out and it was super cheap at Costco. Also, I've been hearing glowing things about this book and since Niffenegger has come into the spotlight with that $5 million book deal of hers, I figured I'd make an exception for this book. It'll be my first non-classic adult book review!

3. The Picture of Dorian Gray: Recommended by the lovely ink. Apparently, Wilde makes purple prose become enviable descriptions. Can't wait to read it :D

Waiting on Wednesday [12]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases. It's hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

***

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

***

So this is one of my books for the Debut Author Challenge, and it just has such a striking, wonderful cover. Also, I've been reading some reviews around the blogosphere of Before I Fall, and they've all pretty much been glowing. Which has me thinking optimistically that this is going to be one of the best books of 2010. Hopefully. The premise does sound really cool--reliving the day of her death. I love books that deal with the butterfly effect--how little decisions can affect everything; and I think this book will be in that vein. It'll be interesting to see how Oliver executes it.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about this book, and pleased it's coming out in about a month! Can't wait. :D

Release Date: March 4, 2010

Daily Dose [2]

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly. It showcases inspirational and beautiful pictures.

Which mostly gives me an excuse to look a pretty pictures. You know, not that I ever procrastinate for hours doing that. *shifty eyes*

Anyways, enjoy!

Review: Willow

Book Description:
Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen-year- old Willow’s parents drank too much wine and asked her to drive them home. They never made it—Willow lost control of the car and her parents died in the accident. Now she has left behind her old home, friends, and school, and blocks the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is, she begins an intense, life-changing relationship that turns her world upside down.

Told in an arresting, fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.

My Opinion:

I don't like whiny characters. I don't like characters that blame themselves for everything. I don't like characters that hate themselves.

If they hate themselves--well, it's just so easy for me to hate them back. If they're continually telling me as a reader that they're awful and worthless, I'm inclined to believe them. I normally don't read problem books, so maybe this is why I found the self-indulgent angst, endless wavering actions, and characters in Willow to be irritating. This book is packed with self-pity, self-hate, and a narrative told in a sobbing whine. And that is why I hurled it across the room three quarters of the way through.

Literally.

I aimed. Then threw. And the pages fluttered and the spine arced beautifully. Then there was the resounding crash against the wall. Lovely sound.

To phrase it lightly, I didn't like this book.

Of course, it's understandable that Willow feels guilt, shame, and grief [insert other self-defeating emotions here] after her parents died. After all, she was the one who was driving the car. As she continually thinks, as the author continually tells us: It's. All. Her. Fault.

Everything.

Her brother's financial troubles. Her being alive. Her parents dying. War. Famine. Global warming. Poverty. Locusts. THAT PUPPY THAT JUST DIED?

Willow's fault.

Everything is Willow's fault.

Her fault.

And this is how the book is structured. Willow goes to school. Just as she's..you know, not thinking about anything...Willow thinks...I'm an awful person. Can I just die? [rinse, lather, repeat. Repeat. Repeat for the next 300 pages.] I'm left gritting my teeth and saying yes, Willow, please die.

Maybe I'm just being insensitive.

But I can't stand Willow.

At all.

I know she's got problems. I know her problem is awful; being orphaned. If I knew anyone in real life with that situation, I would be sympathetic. I should be sympathetic towards to Willow. I mean, Hoban pratically hits us over the head with all her problems. Parentless. Friendless. Passionless. Everything in the world sucks for Willow. But the only thing I feel for her is frustration and annoyance.

Willow's way of dealing things is to cut herself. And I don't feel like Hoban did a great job handling this subject. I found her need to cut herself to be melodramatic and gratuitous. Sort of like how vampires feed on blood, Willow will get this burning need to see blood, and will go into the bathroom and...*gasp* cut herself. And then she bleeds.

So yes, I admit I'm being insensitive here. Cutting is a real problem; I'm not claiming that it isn't. But as it's portrayed in this book, I just found Willow's situation to be irritating. I have absolutely no sympathy for her.

And that's why the whole premise didn't work for me. Add in some awkward prose to the mix, and I just really didn't enjoy this book. Third person present tense is very hard to pull off without it coming off as self-conscious. I really just didn't like the writing style.

So I'll stop now. I always feel bad for giving negative reviews, but I'm not willing to sacrifice honesty if I have a low opinion of a book.

If you will get annoyed by characters that hate themselves, by repetitiveness, by tell-y writing, then definitely don't pick up Willow.

If you're looking for a book that details a girl dealing with self-destructive behavior, I'd pick up Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson instead. It's written beautifully, and anorexia is portrayed in such a realistic, harrowing way that I definitely felt sympathy for the main character. And it's one of my favorite books.

There are a lot of books out there that detail grief wonderfully. That manage to make their characters likable, even when we shouldn't like them. (I'm thinking of Cracked Up To Be* here). It's the opposite with Willow: I should like her but I don't.

Willow, in conclusion, was just not for me.

Harsh review, but something just really hit the wrong chord with me with this book.

I give it a 4/10.


*wonderful book, YOU MUST READ IT if you haven't.

Want more opinions on Willow? Check out these other reviews by bloggers for their thoughts:
Book Crazy Jenn: Willow
A Good Addiction: Willow