Jonah Lehrer: Blowin' in the Wind
I have to admit, when the news broke a few weeks ago, that New Yorker writer Jonah Lehrer (of the now removed-from-sale Imagine) had plagiarized himself--i.e. he'd recycled some of his words and ideas from previous articles or posts published under his name--I breathed a big sigh of "So What?" Haven't we all done this, at one point or another? Especially lately, as the mantra is to Tweet and Facebook and publish, publish, publish, some self-repetition seems inevitable. And yet, Lehrer was called out for this, and while he was allowed to keep his prestigious job at The New Yorker, editor David Remnick was "reluctant" about it, according to the New York Times.
But, now--or actually at least a year ago, the publishing cycle being what it is--Lehrer has really done himself in by making up quotes he then attributed to Bob Dylan. That's a particularly stupid idea, and not only because it violates journalism's rule #1, the one that says you can't make stuff up. But misquoting Bob Dylan, of all people? Not only are there, to estimate conservatively, at least 47 million Dylanologists out there (I have several amateur versions in my own family); not only is Dylan still very much alive and sometimes even talking, mostly in his own memoir; but even a casual observer could see, if he looked, that Lehrer's quote--"It’s a hard thing to describe. It’s just this sense that you got something to say"--couldn’t possibly have come from Dylan: IT WAS WAY TOO COHERENT. (A friend remarked that a more believable quote would have gone something like this: Mumble, Mumble, Mumble [harmonica chord] Mumble.)
So why did Lehrer do this? Because he was in a hurry and, after all, it wasn't such an earth-shattering statement he attributed to Dylan? Because he was lazy or overwhelmed by pressure to succeed? (That's often the excuse: Remember Jayson Blair from the New York Times, or Stephen Glass from The New Republic?) Or maybe, just maybe, we're going to find out that the self-plagiarism and the Dylanism were Jonah Lehrer's gateway drugs, the first steps on a slippery slope of lies that lead we know not yet where?
Years ago, I wrote about the now famous James Frey scandal, which involved the author allegedly fictionalizing key aspects of his memoir, A Million Little Pieces. (Question: Is it self-plagiarism if I tell you I'm doing it while I’m doing it?) There was also the case of Norma Khouri, whose Honor Lost was found by an enterprising Australian reporter to be a hoax. I could go on... but I won't, because I don't want to keep on promoting books that ripped readers off. But I do notice that with Lehrer, as with Frey and Glass, there's an element of self-destructiveness in these acts. I mean, if you really want to get away with something like this, wouldn't you pick a much more obscure plaigeree than the Bard of his Generation? And wouldn't you bury your deed a bit, instead of putting it in the very first pages of your book?
I'm not saying that Lehrer is conscious of this, of course--and let me say clearly that I have never met the man, and have only skimmed his book. Still, even an amateur psychotherapist--I've got several of those in my household, too--can see that this wasn't an accident. "The lies are over now," Lehrer said to the New York Times. "I will do my best to correct the record." Let's hope so.
--Sara Nelson
Edward Garfield on July 31, 2012 at 05:56 PM
It was not so much that he was in a hurry, rather he was not very talented to begin with. His books, including Imagine, are pop-science and while the first book on Proust might have been unique his later books have been retreading the same subject, making his premise sound dull and pretentious. This young Jewish Columbia grad with several books already under his belt is a literary agents wet dream. Neuroscience, Leher's forte, is the string theory of studying the brain. Not much there but theory. Would you want Lehrer cutting into your head? That said his writing skills were well tuned to the ears of a good readers. But it is obvious that he ran out of things to tell us. Many of these writers forgo the injurious and penny less task of writing fiction for the more acceptable non-fiction best seller. But even here, Leher ran out of things to tell us, so he had to make them up.
Girl With a Kitten Tattoo on August 01, 2012 at 03:03 AM
I agree he flew too close to the sun. But this post just sounds like you are piling on, and I'm not sure your psychoanalysis-lite holds water.
deborah on August 01, 2012 at 07:31 AM
Who cares if he plagiarized his own past books? How can one even do that???
I do care that he made up a quote by Dylan. That is definitely not cool.
I would love to know how someone can write an article about someone without even reading their book??? Are we supposed to take you seriously just because you said so? All you are doing is already stating what others have said about this young man. You are not much different then, are you?
greenlife2 on August 01, 2012 at 10:47 AM
I disagree with you Sara. I read Jonah Lehrer's books and he is one of the best writers in neuroscience today. Stop being jealous of Jonah Lehrer and learn from him instead.
Veronica on August 01, 2012 at 10:56 AM
Edward Garfield, I agree with Girl with a Kitten Tattoo. Your criticisms of Leher's books and field of interest aside, you certainly can't tell what was running through his head when he decided to falsify those quotations.
Andrea on August 01, 2012 at 11:51 AM
For those who don't understand why self-plagiarism is wrong, try this comparison: it's like a student who turns the same paper in to several different teachers to get credit for different classes. Even if that one paper is the student's work, the expectation is that s/he would write a separate paper for each class. When a journalist does it, s/he is misleading readers by leading them to believe that what they're reading is original and new and s/he is getting paid more than once for the same work.
Sansacro on August 01, 2012 at 11:53 AM
Garfield, what does his being Jewish have to do with anything, "publisher's wet dream" or not? Also, your blanket statement about neuroscience is pretty ill-informed.
That said, love your writing Sara: very funny and sharp.
Carnedd Jack on August 01, 2012 at 02:07 PM
Self-plagiarism is a very grey area. Academics get away with writing what is essentially the same paper any number of times simply to satisfy their research quota. And in the realm of fiction, there are cases of genre writers re-using the same plot over and over again. Where do you draw the line?
Marlene on August 01, 2012 at 04:50 PM
My thoughts are, one is allowed to use their past work for reference. However, use a made up quote by Dylan is definitely cool. Bob Dylan is one of the 'biggest' plagiarist going. He plagiarized 'The House of the Rising Sun' to the first record company he visited when he was a 'nobody' living in 'the Village' there was a report of how he plagiarized in a book he had written and NPR did a report on him last Spring regarding his plagiarizing someone's photos with 'his own' paint strokes.
Jonah Lehrer's writing is fascinating and insightful, very enjoyable.
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TISA Snapbacks on September 04, 2012 at 06:40 AM
if you really want to get away with something like this, wouldn't you pick a much more obscure plaigeree than the Bard of his Generation?