In the novel I am currently working on, I have a character who is a young (17-year-old) Native American male. Because he is an urban Indian who has been raised in the Southeast, he has no real tribal affiliation or sense of identity (an all-too-common phenomenon for those of us who are descendants of the Chickamagua Cherokees and other indigenous people who chose not to migrate during the Trail of Tears removal). For my character, his only real connection to his "Indianness" is via the Native American books he reads and the NA writers he idolizes, people like Sherman Alexie, James Welch, Adrian C. Louis and others. My character is himself an amateur writer of sorts, and though he sees the reality of his life, that he's basically in a trapped existence, he often fantasizes that his writing will, in fact, be his ticket out.
Because these books and writers are such a vital part of his life, and these writers his role models,he often utilizes quotes and passages from them, usually as justification for events in his own life or for actions he commits. There is one scene in particular--and this is the passage in question--where he is making love to his girlfriend, who happens to be white. Among the many chaotic thoughts and jumbled impressions in his mind, he recalls the line, "Nothing is so white as the white girl an Indian boy loves," which is, of course, a well-known line from a Sherman Alexie poem. I felt like there were good reasons why my charcater would be compelled to recall that particular line, since he is himself grappling with issues of race and identity, and this would obviously be a line he is familiar with.
Okay, here's the question: The context of my passage makes it very clear that this is obviously a line my character is recalling from a published book he has read at some point in his past. I also set the line in italics so as to further emphasize that the words are neither his nor mine. It is clear that he is struggling to recall a line that has meant something to him, though he can't quite make the connection. I did not want to specifically mention Alexie or the specific poem title at that point because it would go against what I'm trying to achieve with the scene--namely, that my character cannot specifically recall where he's read or seen the line before, only that it's one of hundreds that he's tried to grasp onto to find meaning.
But even if my context makes it clear that this is a line from another source, would I be committing plagiarism by retaining the line in its present form? Would I need permission from Alexie or his publisher in order to use it in this context? Obviously, I want to do the right thing and not cause myself any undue problems. I suppose if worst comes to worst, I could revise the scene so as to get around using the actual quote, but I'd love to keep it if at all possible since I think its inclusion speaks volumes about who my character is and the issues he's struggling with. Intertextualization is in many ways a big part of what this novel is all about--that is, how the cycle of Native American identity issues are perpetuated from generation to generation via the words we pass down.
But if I do obtain permission to use the line, would I need to credit Alexie, the publisher, or both? And would it need to be written into the context of the passage, or would a simple by-line elsewhere (say in the acknowledgements) be sufficient?
Forgive me for such a long post, but I've been struggling with this question for awhile, and would appreciate any helpful or constructive feedback.
Because these books and writers are such a vital part of his life, and these writers his role models,he often utilizes quotes and passages from them, usually as justification for events in his own life or for actions he commits. There is one scene in particular--and this is the passage in question--where he is making love to his girlfriend, who happens to be white. Among the many chaotic thoughts and jumbled impressions in his mind, he recalls the line, "Nothing is so white as the white girl an Indian boy loves," which is, of course, a well-known line from a Sherman Alexie poem. I felt like there were good reasons why my charcater would be compelled to recall that particular line, since he is himself grappling with issues of race and identity, and this would obviously be a line he is familiar with.
Okay, here's the question: The context of my passage makes it very clear that this is obviously a line my character is recalling from a published book he has read at some point in his past. I also set the line in italics so as to further emphasize that the words are neither his nor mine. It is clear that he is struggling to recall a line that has meant something to him, though he can't quite make the connection. I did not want to specifically mention Alexie or the specific poem title at that point because it would go against what I'm trying to achieve with the scene--namely, that my character cannot specifically recall where he's read or seen the line before, only that it's one of hundreds that he's tried to grasp onto to find meaning.
But even if my context makes it clear that this is a line from another source, would I be committing plagiarism by retaining the line in its present form? Would I need permission from Alexie or his publisher in order to use it in this context? Obviously, I want to do the right thing and not cause myself any undue problems. I suppose if worst comes to worst, I could revise the scene so as to get around using the actual quote, but I'd love to keep it if at all possible since I think its inclusion speaks volumes about who my character is and the issues he's struggling with. Intertextualization is in many ways a big part of what this novel is all about--that is, how the cycle of Native American identity issues are perpetuated from generation to generation via the words we pass down.
But if I do obtain permission to use the line, would I need to credit Alexie, the publisher, or both? And would it need to be written into the context of the passage, or would a simple by-line elsewhere (say in the acknowledgements) be sufficient?
Forgive me for such a long post, but I've been struggling with this question for awhile, and would appreciate any helpful or constructive feedback.
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