Old friends/themes in new places- "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?"

        Am I the only one that thinks every Nicholas Sparks novel is the same story with a different setting and character names? And how many parodies have you seen of John Hughes's, "The Breakfast Club" or "Sixteen Candles"? Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of a classic love story or camaraderie amongst outcast teens, but how many times do you have to see a movie or read a novel before you can make the connections? As Foster mentioned the "connect the dots" analogy, are you someone that can see the picture before you connect the dots or do you have to wait until the dots are already connected? How many times do the common themes and characters have to appear for the reader to clearly distinguish that the author is referencing (either purposely or accidentally) another storyline?
       In the 10th grade, I spent a great deal of time learning about archetypes and how they are used in literally everything you can read/watch. Archetypes such as "The Hero" or "The Scapegoat" take on roles that are constant every time they are used. I think this is a reason why all literature looks similar, or as Foster would say, why literature grows from other literature. Because each specific archetype has the same (or similar) role in whatever situation they are used, it is common that the novels in which they are used in look familiar.  Fosters says that "there's no such thing as a wholly original work of literature" and that is precisely because of the stereotypical roles that each individual archetype is attached to.
     Sometimes I think that authors/movie producers (I consider them to have the same job) purposely pull in details to enhance their movies. Nicholas Sparks is very well aware of the fact "A Walk to Remember" was a fan favorite. A classic love story gets everyone. Therefore, I think that he used a common theme for his novels several years later such as "The Notebook", "Dear John", and "Safe Haven". If you look at the cover picture they are all of the same thing, a boy and a girl hugging/kissing/cuddling. Same goes for "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles". Everyone knows that those two movies are probably two of the most popular movies...ever. The storyline is so recognizable that other authors/movie producers know that using that storyline is a sure hit. They are well aware of their using of prior texts, they are doing so consciously and purposely.
      While much of the time the author's use of previous text is intentional, (hoping that the reader will automatically realize the common grounds) there are times (as mentioned by Foster) that authors are using common themes with hopes that the reader will make the connection unconsciously. Although I have not read "Going After Cacciato" I do understand how O'Brien wanted the main character, Sarkin Aung Wan to resemble Sacajawea. I think that using a real life example to base a character off of is a sure way to make the reader make the connection, whether that is on purpose or on accident.
     So, what I learned from this chapter is that there is a lot of "coping" in literature. However, who is the author really copying? Old friends (characters/themes) appear in new places (novels/movies) and each time they seem to capture the reader's attention.

Ya see what I mean?>>>