Who loves Gone With The Wind?

[IBBYSMama]

ME!!:

[zinemama]

I recently re-read GWTW for the first time since seventh grade (when I plowed through it at least 2 or 3 times). For sheer plot and period color, yeah, it was as compelling as I remembered.

But the blatant racism. OMG. It is really, really bad. It is beyond redeemable. It really was appalling.

[soccermama]

ME!!! I asked for that movie for Christmas one year and my grandmother got it for me - the whole set! God rest her soul.

Anyhow - yes, I haven't watched that movie in years but when am I going to find time to really sit down, uninterrupted and enjoy a 4 hour movie? LOL!!

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by zinemama

I recently re-read GWTW for the first time since seventh grade (when I plowed through it at least 2 or 3 times). For sheer plot and period color, yeah, it was as compelling as I remembered.

But the blatant racism. OMG. It is really, really bad. It is beyond redeemable. It really was appalling.

And that is why books/movies like that are so important- so we remember.

[zinemama]

Originally Posted by magstphil

And that is why books/movies like that are so important- so we remember.

I'm not sure what you mean. There are lots of other books that deal with the subject of racism and the way things were back then without being inherently racist themselves.

But Mead's worldview comes through loud and clear in GWTW. She doesn't merely portray her characters as products of their time, but in the narrative she shows quite clearly what she thinks of black people - and it's not pretty.

Or did you mean that racist texts themselves are important to read today, so as to remember when those views were not only blatant but unremarkable to a large portion of the reading public?

[kirstenb]

Originally Posted by magstphil

And that is why books/movies like that are so important- so we remember.

Yep.

I love the book though- I first read it in 7th grade and have read it at least once a year since. That time period in history is so intriguing to me. I love the movie too, but it just doesn't compare to the book.

[christinar]

You all might enjoy Rhett Butler's People (http://www.amazon.com/Rhett-Butlers-...2938242&sr=8-1), I did!

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by zinemama

I'm not sure what you mean. There are lots of other books that deal with the subject of racism and the way things were back then without being inherently racist themselves.

But Mead's worldview comes through loud and clear in GWTW. She doesn't merely portray her characters as products of their time, but in the narrative she shows quite clearly what she thinks of black people - and it's not pretty.

Or did you mean that racist texts themselves are important to read today, so as to remember when those views were not only blatant but unremarkable to a large portion of the reading public?

Yes. There is a difference between an outward look of something and really getting down in the trenches with it.

[Smokering]

I used to LOVE it. Kept it by my bedside and would dive into it over and over again at night.

I reread it the other day and have to agree with zinemama - the racism is appalling. From the sanitized descriptions of slavery on the plantation to the constant references to various characters' "pendulous lips" and "ape-like faces", to the old cliche of the Really Good Black Woman being half-Indian, to the character of Prissy, to the statement made by one of the male characters that the Yankees "made him" hate the ex-slaves by letting them get above themselves... he even says something along the lines of "I never thought I'd see the day I hated darkies", the implication being that if the evil Yankees had just let them stay slaves he'd view them with love and devotion. Oh, and all the references to "child-like" and "inferiors"... not to mention the honourable Ashley Wilkes being part of the KKK! It's all pretty disturbing, especially when Ashley and Ellen and other "good guys" spout this stuff.

That said, I suppose it's a good look at the Southern point of view. And Margaret Mitchell knows how to write - it's trash, but it's superbly engaging, salacious, gossipy trash which makes it delightful to read. Why investigate the nuances of war when you can talk about corsets, after all?

So I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the book, I guess. I love the character of Scarlett, the way the book really delves into the characters of Melly and Rhett and Ashley and so on, the sprawling ensemble cast, the way the plot twists and turns... But the racism isn't something that can just be skipped over; it permeates the entire book. So... yeah.