New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-02
PLAGIARISM OR ADAPTATION
. po1,p CASE OF ONE OR THE OTHER.

mann vvor-A NOVEL BY CHARLES GIBBoS'
Harper Brothers. c.noru,r por,s
UAFFAIRE LEROUGE Par EMILE "A"o~.o
what ia plaoiarismf Since Charles Reade pro-
.,....a h;s necuIiar code of literary ethics tins
'.a.;o,, .nnears to have been in considerable
81. A process which the employers OF IT con-
-.r;sntlv stved /" adaptation had indeed been III
,so nv English dramatists long before Reades tme'
.rd this transmutation of French plays was stontiy
defepaed by many persons whose ideas OF rlght anu
wrong on other matters were normal. AdaP'a'io"
consisted usually in apprOpriating the pio,' si'u
tions and all the best of the dialogue III play an"
changing the names of the dramas persona. Soii'e-
times the changes went further, but by no ine'"'
ALWAYS. 1t was a cheap and easy methoo Vi PUP
plyipg the British stage. but its legitimacy 800 49,,
never be established upon SOUND princ,po" -
regard 10 novels, however, the stahuai' "1' I'll
aylv been higher. 1t is true that Charles heaue
80 49,, ioose and dangerous views on the subject
80 n,a,;ar;sm and he did not hesitate upon occasion
90 sic and appropriate not merely plots aud STU
ot,ons Int whole pages of description or dialogue
r,;ons instance of this occurs in The Clolster ana
the Hearth" in which he incorporated lung u
scription of German travel and waysi"e INNS ,"h.
bodily from the Colleagues OF Erasmus Du' INC
main part of Reade's work was always orisi"ai'
and as n rule he improved all that he look iioni
others The case are about to cxamine inuS' 'o
p,rt IN quite q different Category r
Mr.. Charles Gibbon, an English mover wri'cr Vi
ammo reputation, has published story called "A
Hard Knot which is not merely founded upon
Int ia In the main close transcript OF Eiliio Vi"
borian,s book entitled "LAffaire Lerouge Inero
;s mn room for doubt as to the extent OF MT. uio-
hons transfer of the French writer's IDEAS lie mas
taken his Mot his situations and his characters,
md while has made many changes In detaiis' anu
has altered the catastrophe, it is certain that II
"I,Affaire Ierougev had not been written,
Hard Knot would never have seen the hgnt.
Cahoriau's story is of a murder committed 10 oo-
tain and destroy documentary evidence relating 10
a change of Infants effected to pervert an inheri-
lance. Iii Gibbons story the motive Is the same
Gaboriaus rival heirs are male; Giboon mas maze
than female The Frenchman introduces an anna
teur detective Who is purposeiy deceived py 'he
real murderer and thus causes the arrest
of an innocent man. The same detective
appears in the Englishmans story. III
(;aboriaus novel the man who Is wrongly accused
confirms suspcion by refusing to account for his
actions on the night of the murder. Ills siienco Is
really due to the fact that he was on that night
with his betrothed, having had an appointment.
with her in her garden, aud having been compeleo
to climb over the wall thus soiling his ciotnes' anu
producing appearances which 10 the poiico liinu
demonstrated struggle. All these details are re-
produced In "a Hard Kuot." In the French mover
there is MAGISTRATE who has private reasons 1or
not wishing to have any official connection WIN
the case but finds himself forced into It, Ihere Is
a similar character III the English book Inc csar-
acters that correspond with ono another IN the two
books may be thus set down: