▁popular ity ▁and ▁public ity ▁for ▁his ▁book . ▁Re ade ' s ▁friend ▁and ▁fellow ▁novel ist ▁Wil kie ▁Collins ▁sought ▁to ▁have ▁Charles ▁Dick ens ▁test ify ▁in ▁Re ade ' s ▁beh alf ▁at ▁the ▁trial , ▁but ▁Dick ens ▁decl ined , ▁finding ▁the ▁book ▁" the ▁work ▁of ▁a ▁highly ▁accomplished ▁writer ▁and ▁a ▁good ▁man ", ▁yet ▁containing ▁pass ages ▁he ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁published ▁himself . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁much - follow ed ▁American ▁sc andal ▁and ▁ 1 8 7 5 ▁trial ▁( a ▁trial ▁that ▁went ▁on ▁for ▁six ▁months ), ▁Henry ▁Ward ▁Be e cher ▁was ▁su ed ▁by ▁The odore ▁T il ton ▁for ▁comm itting ▁ad ul tery ▁with ▁his ▁wife ▁Elizabeth . ▁Elizabeth ▁claimed ▁in ▁part ▁that ▁her ▁actions ▁were ▁influenced ▁by ▁reading ▁Ga unt , ▁and ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁disse cted ▁in ▁depth ▁during ▁the ▁trial . ▁ ▁Mal col m ▁El win ' s ▁ 1 9 3 1 ▁bi ography ▁of ▁Re ade ▁called ▁Ga unt ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁nov els ▁of ▁its ▁generation ," ▁and ▁Henry ▁James ▁also ▁wrote ▁fav ou rab ly ▁of ▁" the ▁much ▁ab used " ▁novel . ▁ ▁Plot ▁summary ▁Here ▁is ▁a ▁plot ▁summary ▁taken ▁from ▁a ▁ 1 9 1 7 ▁anth ology ▁of ▁literature : ▁ ▁Griff ith ▁Ga unt , ▁a ▁gentleman ▁without ▁fortune , ▁mar ries ▁C ath ar ine ▁P ey ton , ▁a ▁C umber land ▁he ir ess , ▁who