The Cult of Originality

Please have a look at this fascinating review of Richard Posner's newest work: The Little Book of Plagiarism.
Posner essentially takes issue with the idea that a work "cannot be 'creative' unless it is 'original.'" He draws on historical precedent for furthering his contention: Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, MLK Jr., are known to have unabashedly plagiarized. He also notes that "Jonathan Swift and Laurence Sterne 'denounced plagiarism in words plagiarized from earlier writers.'"

I'll let you know if I ever get a chance to read the book.