Collaboration happens even when it does not seem obvious. Most great works of literature and all of the film world require the work of two or more people to make it something that many will consider worth entertaining. The readings this week discussed collaboration in many of the great 20th century novels that have shaped the core of American literature. Although most authors are given the sole credit for the finished work, the editor and publisher, as well as the agent, are all overlooked for any kind of credit. In actuality, their efforts and insight on the author’s written word greatly influence the finished product that sits on bookshelves all over the word. For example, in the reading “Collaboration and Concepts of Authorship,” Thomas Inge points out that F. Scott Fitzgerald, the prolific author during the 1920s, had problems with simple punctuation and spelling. And while Fitzgerald may have had the talent to write great stories with memorable characters, he may not have had the best sense when it came to choosing titles that might sell. The text references Fitzgerald’s desire to name The Great Gatsby, Under the Red, White, and Blue. It is hard to think that one of the most famous books to come out of that century might have had a completely different name if the decision had been left to the author himself.
This all makes logical sense as the book publishing industry is one that is very collaborative in the 21st century. The popularity of a book depends on marketing. Some excellent books may go unknown because they never got the right attention of the right people. Today, books are targeted towards different demographics, and newer genres such as YA or “young adult” have some come to be.
Films are also collaborative, although this is not as surprising. Inge discusses the auteur theory, which is the idea that the credit for a film belongs solely to one person, generally the director. And while many directors have left a body of work that seems to link together similar motifs and themes as a whole, it seems unfair to exclude the scriptwriter, cinematographer, and the actors entirely out of the line of credit.
While these forms of text might are created for entertaining, each one carrying some intention to evoke certain feelings from its audience, the printed or published word found on Wikipedia is meant to be completely neutral and fact-based. These are also collaborative, some articles touched by multiple editors. Some may see Wikipedia as a less credible source of information due to its ease for the average person to leave their imprint on the published word. However, in the article by Daniel Terdiman, “Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannic,” Terdiman reveals that when compared side by side, the margin of error is not terribly different.