The scandal that wasn’t

This Story says the charges of plagiarism and intellectual theft against Yann Martel for “The Life of Pi” reflect more poorly on those who have propagated it than on Martel. The brouhaha provides less insight into the ethics of literary creation than the way the media can spead false claims.

They say the charges are as silly as bashing Shakespeare for his liberal borrowings from other writers. Taking inspiration is not copying or borrowing. It’s the way of the world.