But there is a deeper level on which to judge Stegner's actions, although I hesitate to use the word "moral" or its opposite. To me the ultimate question is whether he hurt or fooled not just someone but a discernible group of people.
I have talked with three of Foote's great-grandchildren. Two understood why Stegner, in his words, had to "warp" their ancestor's life to fit the needs of fiction. One was adamant in her condemnation of the author.
And then there are the readers who may feel they were fooled or cheated out of a real work of fiction. It's hard to know how they felt; most were probably unaware of the issue at least until it surfaced in a new introduction written by Jackson J. Benson, a previous Stegner biographer, for a 2000 edition of the paperback.
It seems to me that Stegner and the Foote family both made mistakes -- but that doesn't ruin the book. It still remains a classic in my estimation.
This story, as the best history should, ends on the completion of a cycle. Benson submitted his introduction in manuscript form to Stegner's widow, Mary, before the paperback came out. She asked that certain parts be deleted; Benson partly complied. And Mary Stegner, who is now in a rest home at the age of 96, has inserted a provision in her will that no movie will be made from that novel.
So there is sensitivity within both the Foote and the Stegner families on the issue of plagiarism. In my mind, the question defies a clear yes-or-no stance. Again, it is the gray areas in history that are the most intriguing.
