Kaavya Viswanathan ‰8 faces new allegations that her novel, ⁈ow Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life, †borrowed material from earlier works.
While the newly-uncovered similarities between ⁏pal Mehta †and works by Salman Rushdie and two other authors are not as striking as the previously revealed parallels to Megan McCafferty books, the allegations raise fresh questions about the originality of Viswanathan novel.
But fewf any“hick-lit †works have ever received the level of intense scrutiny that ⁏pal Mehta †is now enduring. And it is not clear whether the new allegations suggest further plagiarism, or whether Viswanathan is simply employing tropes that are widely-used in the genre.
The 19-year-old author of ⁈ow Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life †said last week that any similarities between her book and McCafferty ⁓loppy Firsts †and ⁓econd Helpings †were ‼a href="/article.aspx?ref=513015" target=_blank>unintentional and unconscious. †
Now she appears to have borrowed passages from Salman Rushdie ⁈aroun and the Sea of Stories †and Meg Cabot ⁔he Princess Diaries. †The New York Times also reported similarities between ⁏pal Mehta †and Sophie Kinsella ⁃an You Keep a Secret? †In each of the cases, the passages in question are short but contain similar rhymes and descriptions.
Page 12 of Meg Cabot 2000 novel ⁔he Princess Diaries †reads: ⁔here isn⁴ a single inch of me that hasn⁴ been pinched, cut, filed, painted, sloughed, blown dry, or moisturized. [...] Because I don⁴ look a thing like Mia Thermopolis. Mia Thermopolis never had fingernails. Mia Thermopolis never had blond highlights. Mia Thermopolis never wore makeup or Gucci shoes or Chanel skirts or Christian Dior bras, which by the way don⁴ even come in 32A, which is my size. I don⁴ even know who I am anymore. It certainly isn⁴ Mia Thermopolis. She turning me into someone else. †
The italics appear in the original.
And page 59 of Viswanathan novel reads: ⁅very inch of me had been cut, filed, steamed, exfoliated, polished, painted, or moisturized. I didn⁴ look a thing like Opal Mehta. Opal Mehta didn⁴ own five pairs of shoes so expensive they could have been traded in for a small sailboat. She didn⁴ wear makeup or Manolo Blahniks or Chanel sunglasses or Habitual jeans or Le Perla bras. She never owned enough cashmere to make her concerned for the future of the Kazakhstani mountain goat population. I was turning into someone else. †
In Rushdie ⁈aroun, †a 1990 children novel, the title character Haroun enters a bus depot and passes by several admonitions written on the walls surrounding the depot courtyard. Likewise, in Viswanathan novel, the protagonist helps another student place posters on a wall that discourage drug and alcohol use.
On page 35 of Rushdie novel, one of the warnings reads: ⁉f from speed you get your thrill / take precautionake your will. †
On page 118 of Viswanathan novel, one of the posters reads: ⁉f from drink you get your thrill, take precaution⁷rite your will. †
On page 31 of Rushdie novel, another warning reads: ⁁ll the dangerous overtakers / end up safe as undertaker. †
On page 119 of Viswanathan novel, another poster reads: ⁁ll the dangerous drug abusers end up safe as total losers. ’†
However, the Times reported yesterday that rhyming road signs are common along expressways in India.
The Times also found that three similar passages exist between ⁏pal Mehta †and Kinsella ⁃an You Keep a Secret?
According to the Times, page 350 of Kinsella novel reads: ‘‼em>And wel tell everyone you got your Donna Karan coat from a discount warehouse shop.†
⁊emima gasps. ⁉ didn⁴!†she says, color suffusing her cheeks.
‘⁙ou did! I saw the carrier bag,†I chime in. ‼em>And wel make it public that your pearls are cultured, not real...†
⁊emima claps a hand over her mouth.
‘..and you never really cook the food at your dinner parties...†
‘..and that photo of you meeting Prince William is faked...†
‘..and wel tell every single man you ever date from now on that all youe after is a rock on your finger!†Lissy finishes. I shoot a grateful glance at her.
‘⁏K!†says Jemima, practically in tears. ⁏K! I promise Il forget all about it. I promise! Just please don⁴ mention the discount warehouse shop. Please. Can I go now?”†
Page 282 of Viswanathan novel reads: ‘⁁nd Il tell everyone that in eighth grade you used to wear a ⁍y Little Pony †sweatshirt to school every day,†I continued.
⁐riscilla gasped. ⁉ didn⁴!†she said, her face purpling again.
‘⁙ou did! I even have pictures,†I said. ⁁nd Il make it public that you named your dog Pythagoras...†
⁐riscilla opened her mouth and gave a few soundless gulps.
‘⁁nd that you couldn⁴ get a date to the freshman fall dance, so you had to take your cousin...†
‘⁏kay, fine!†she said in complete consternation. ⁆ine! I promise Il do whatever you want. Il talk to the club manager. Just please don⁴ mention the sweatshirt. Please.”†
The Times also reported that two other passages from Viswanathan book bore similarities to the Kinsella work.
Viswanathan did not respond to a request for comment.
The Crimson learned of the similarities between ⁏pal Mehta †and both ⁈aroun †and ⁔he Princess Diaries †through e-mail tips. The ⁐rincess Diaries †similarity was found on the online weblog DesiJournal. Viswanathan has defended her writing in the past by stating that she nternalized †McCafferty books, and that she has a photographic memory.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that Dreamworks, which bought the movie rights to ⁏pal Mehta, †has halted production of the film. The article cited source close to Dreamworks. †
Dreamworks representatives did not respond to several phone calls and e-mail requests for comment over the past two days.
⁓taff writer Paras D. Bhayani can be reached at pbhayani@fas.harvard.edu.
⁓taff writer David Zhou can be reached at dzhou@fas.harvard.edu.
