Following up on that earlier post about sequels to established classics - I've run across an interesting article about J.D. Salinger's lawsuit to try and block the publication of a book called 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye.
The description from the article: "There is no question that "60 Years Later," written by Swedish humorist Fredrik Colting under the pen name "John David California," is based on "Catcher in the Rye." The hero, Mr. C., is clearly the alienated teenager Holden Caulfield, now an old man (who leaves a retirement home to go to New York, echoing Holden's flight from boarding school). A few other characters from the Salinger novel also appear, along with original ones - and with Salinger himself. Indeed, on the copyright page, the book is described as 'An Unauthorized Fictional Examination of the Relationship Between J. D. Salinger and his Most Famous Character.'"
The article looks at what, if anything, is the point of some readings of copyright law - should you be able to block the publication of a book like Wide Sargasso Sea? - and also talks about the importance of borrowing in creativity (in much the same way as Cory Doctorow talks about inviting his readers to remix and remake his work: he says that art that's not meant to be transformed is just plain outdated in this century.)
