Would paraphrasing a Thomas Hobbes quote in my work need attribution?

[WCSGarland]

Just curious if a quote from a long dead author would be considered public domain and if a paraphrase with or without attribution would be the best way to go in my story.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

It's a quick Google search to find out if the work in question is public domain. Leviathan is public domain in the US.

 

[WCSGarland]

It's a quick Google search to find out if the work in question is public domain. Leviathan is public domain in the US.

Okay, yes I see now that it is public domain in US. Still not sure if I should include attribution or not as it is part of a character dialog.

 

[Bamagan]

Paraphrasing is usually not a problem, but a direct quote that isn't attributed could be considered plagiarism. That being said, plagiarism is primarily an issue in academic or professional settings, not so much in smut. It's still good form to include attribution of direct quotes, though, as a matter of basic courtesy.

 

[SimonDoom]

In terms of copyright, everything written by Hobbes (or any author who has been dead for more than 70 years) would be in the public domain. There's no problem.

Ethically, there's an issue if the way you use a quotation from the past suggests that you are the original author of that quotation. That's plagiarism.

But if, for example, a character in your story says, "Life sure is nasty, brutish, and short," that's not a problem. It would be pedantic and intrusive to make a point of saying that the quote came from Hobbes.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Okay, yes I see now that it is public domain in US. Still not sure if I should include attribution or not as it is part of a character dialog.

Wasn't it Hobbes who said something like, 'curiosity is just lust of the mind'? Glad to see there's some lust in there since you're writing erotica.

 

[MetaBob]

One possibility: "As Thomas Hobbes sort-of said ..."

 

[StillStunned]

I usually do something along the lines of "... as the man said", or "... as the poet said".

 

[WCSGarland]

I think SimonDoom said it best...

But if, for example, a character in your story says, "Life sure is nasty, brutish, and short," that's not a problem. It would be pedantic and intrusive to make a point of saying that the quote came from Hobbes.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

That bastard Hobbes nailed it, nasty, brutish and short indeed...

 

[Britva415]

Things which have become “sayings” (and adhere to the seventy-years-deceased bit) don’t really require attribution.

I think this is one of those.

 

[electric1]

There is no legal requirement, but why would you not want to credit the author? Are you trying to hide the fact that you've read a book?

 

[Plathfan]

It's still good form to include attribution of direct quotes, though, as a matter of basic courtesy.

Amen

One possibility: "As Thomas Hobbes sort-of said ..."

Amen

If it isn't a widely known saying, it would be courteous to mention its rightful owner.