Of course there's the old idea that Shakespeare cornered the market on every possible combination of human emotions and that every story told today is a copy. The endless possibilities at every turn are part of the beauty of life. In college, a writing professor gave us an assignment to mimic a great writer. There are evolutionary advantages in mimicry. Flowers mimic bees for the purpose of survival.
Children learn by imitation.
It's a great way to learn how to paint or write or do anything. In those days, as a student, I was already trying my hardest to turn myself into Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A little encouragement to blatantly copy him was a nice offer. At some point I thought it was my mission to bring magic realism into contemporary American vogue. I had to face facts.