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The notion of literary plagiarism is at the heart of the process of writing, even if the meaning of the term "plagiarism" varies according to the period. First, we must specify the meaning and the context of this notion from ancient times to the present, choosing examples from among the most famous writers. For the contemporary period, it is necessary to highlight the reasons why plagiarism has not disappeared, in spite of copyright law. Economic and cultural elements can explain this phenomenon. The Paul Celan-Yvan Goll case is a perfect yet tragic illustration of all the crucial questions that literary creation, originality, and plagiarism can raise.
Is the notion of literary plagiarism not a contradiction in terms? Usually, plagiarism is taken to be writing without literary value, mere copying that is devoid of personality and style. The plagiarist is a usurper who steals someone else's work and signs it with his own name. From this point of view, it is distinguished from a forgery, which is its opposite: the forger produces a new work by faithfully imitating the stylistic characteristics of the work of an author whose signature he is stealing. The forger's purpose is to give his work a value that his own signature would not have guaranteed. The plagiarist's purpose is to give himself value by pretending to be the author of a work he has stolen. A further element to characterise plagiarism: the writer of pastiches has something in common with the forger inasmuch as the signature of the writer he has pastiched comes through into his work, which is pure imitation. But he also has points in common with the plagiarist through the distance he attempts to maintain from his model. Nevertheless, the intention is different in the case of pastiche and plagiarism: while the plagiarist cleverly disguises the original text by seeking to hide his misdemeanour and make us forget his source, the author of pastiches signals to the reader, through overwrought stylistic devices, that a game is being played. He does not intend to steal the work, as does the plagiarist, or steal the author's signature, as does the forger. The author of pastiches is not a cheat but a prankster.
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