Gone With The Wind: Still one of the greatest books ever?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Folks,

 

Can you recall your first reading of Gone With The Wind?

 

And, can you recall where and when you read it….sort of like when you first received the news of JFK’s tragedy?

 

I am not saying that Gone WIth The Wind (GWTW) is that much of a tragedy, and it might even be more of a comedy, these days.

 

Sure, it was a tragedy when Tara burned to the ground, or did it? I forget.

 

And since I forget, what I am doing is listening to GWTW on tape, just so I can get my facts straight about things like the plot, for example.

 

Absolutely, GWTW is one of the greatest books ever written, with umpteen copies sold, and even more borrowed from libraries around the United States.

 

And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet, I do wonder.

Certainly nobody could play Scarlet as well as Vivien Leigh, IMHO.  She’s British, you know.

 

FYI:  I found a wonderful audiobook recording read by, I think, Linda Stephens. She does all the characters so well, even the slaves.

 

This particular copy of the audio recordings is cheap at half the price.

 

If one had read GWTW in one sitting, as I did, back in 1964, then listening to the audio version in 2024 would be twice the thrill.

 

I just wish that the Old South still survived, meaning not ALL of it, but the ROMANCE of it!!!!!!

 

Anyone else here think this book is the greatest novel written during the past 100 years?

 

I still love Scarlet, just as much as I ever did.

 

Love this book!

 

Best regards,

Gamma (Rhett) Globulin

 

Note:  Love her, Simply Love her, to bits….!

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Correction: Vivien played Scarlett, and not Scarlet, as we know.  (Strange, me thinks that Rhet is Rhett and Scarlet is Scarlett, and neither can stand each other, even though both have two Ts in their first names, occurring at the end of each name.)

 

This, too, boggles the mind.

 

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet, I do wonder.

 

Frankly, @GammaGlobulin, I don't give a damn.

 

It true that polls rank GWTW as the most popular novel among U.S. readers and it is indeed better researched and written than most popular works of fiction, it is far from a great book.

[Terrance8812]

Gone With the Wind, you say GG? Oh, what a tale. A sweeping saga of love, loss, and, dare I say, audacious resilience! I can’t recall exactly when I first read it, but I do remember closing the book and muttering to myself, “Frankly, my dear.” Though I’ll admit I lacked the panache of Mr. Gable.

 

Scarlet O’Hara… what a woman! Fierce, flawed, and utterly unforgettable. You’re right, Vivien Leigh was Scarlet. No question. Who could possibly fill her shoes in a remake? I shudder to think. They’d likely cast someone who wouldn’t know a petticoat from a potato sack. And the romance! There’s something about the idea of the Old South, that intoxicating, honey-dipped veneer of it all. Though, truth be told, I wouldn’t trade air conditioning for a hoop skirt.

 

Listening to the audiobook sounds delightful. Linda Stephens, you say? If she can breathe life into Scarlet and Mammy in one fell swoop, she deserves her own Oscar for narration. A cheap price for a double dose of nostalgia, to be sure. Maybe I’ll dig out my old copy of the book, or dare I say, download an eBook? Blasphemy, I know.

 

And oh, Tara. Did it burn? Didn’t it? Who can say? Memory is a funny thing, isn’t it? All I remember is the feeling of it, the ashes of dreams scattered to the wind. But Scarlet, as always, rises. Tomorrow, after all, is another day.

 

Greatest novel of the past 100 years? It just might be. Though let’s not forget To Kill a Mockingbird. Another Southern gem. But Scarlet, oh Scarlet. She’s the one who still haunts us, isn’t she?

 

Simply love her. To bits. To absolute bits.

 

Best regards,

Ashley… no, wait… Call me Rhett Jr.

[connda]

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Can you recall your first reading of Gone With The Wind?

I've never read it, but now that you mentioned it, I think I'll put it into my "To Read" list.

[Ben Zioner]

Yeah.. M.Mitchell, must have read the great Russian writers. But to be honest I read them too, but didn't write a soft porn novel.

[ChaiyaTH]

9 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Frankly, @GammaGlobulin, I don't give a damn.

 

It true that polls rank GWTW as the most popular novel among U.S. readers and it is indeed better researched and written than most popular works of fiction, it is far from a great book.

Do people read in usa?

[1FinickyOne]

Book? I thought it was just a Carol Burnett sketch... at '55 seconds is the funniest scen with the curtains...

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Yeah.. M.Mitchell, must have read the great Russian writers. But to be honest I read them too, but didn't write a soft porn novel.

 

Now that you mention it, GWTW definitely has some Russian storytelling-feel to offer the reader.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Do people read in usa?

 

Only in New England, in the summertime, in places around coastal areas, and in marshlands during duck-hunting season.

 

While hunting birds, one must wait in a blind for hours on end, often without internet connectivity, and limited battery storage. Books become the only option in such conditions.

 

 

[Ben Zioner]

4 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Do people read in usa?

Can MAGA people read?

[GammaGlobulin]

27 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Can MAGA people read?

 

It was clearly stated in GWTW that Scarlett was NOT a reader.

This is why Ashley wouldn't have anything to do with her.

 

Do you remember THAT?

 

Ashley, on the other hand, was a BIG TIME reader....Big Time!

 

I do not associate with those who do not read, and read often, and read in depth, and read books which are not trash, fit for White Trash.

 

You recall how, in GWTW...most of the big landholder could not stand the white-trash family who owned only 3-acres of land down by the river.  They wanted to buy them out at any price, and get rid of them.

 

This turned out to be impossible as the white-trash would not sell their cotton-land.

If they had, then it might have ruined part of the story.

 

As for MAGA, I think you are on a different Topic, and might do well to stick to the 100s of Topics hashing and rehashing the MAGA themes....

 

 

[VillageIdiot]

"And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet(t), I do wonder."

Good question.

A remake would have to be "woke" in every sense of the word.

Lizzo as a contemporary Southern Belle would be perfect.

Casting a modern-day Rhett Butler might be more difficult and require some input from the various groups that took umbrage at Clark Gable's macho character in the original.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

54 minutes ago, VillageIdiot said:

"And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet(t), I do wonder."

Good question.

A remake would have to be "woke" in every sense of the word.

Lizzo as a contemporary Southern Belle would be perfect.

Casting a modern-day Rhett Butler might be more difficult and require some input from the various groups that took umbrage at Clark Gable's macho character in the original.

 

 

Maybe this?:

 

 

 

Or, better yet, If we can just get Sean to return to the stage, Connery would be the perfect Rhett for all time.

 

 

Sean could have done better than Gable, but only in some ways.

 

[Lacessit]

Steinbeck's "East of Eden" is my pick of American literature. Of course, there are other great books authored by non-Americans - Dickens, the Brontes, Kingsley, Thackeray. Guy du Maupassant, Dumas. Tolstoy.

 

AFAIK the first historical novel was "The Cloister and the Hearth" by Charles Reade. Published in 1861.

 

Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke are giants of science fiction.

 

In modern authors, it astonishes me how many Americans have never heard of John D. MacDonald.

 

 

[Evil Penevil]

19 hours ago, Lacessit said:

AFAIK the first historical novel was "The Cloister and the Hearth" by Charles Reade. Published in 1861.

 

I don't know how strict a definition of "historical novel" you're using, but world and English literature have numerous historical novels published before 1861.  The first English-language historical novel in modern form is considered by some to be  Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley,  which was published in 1814.  https://www.britannica.com/art/historical-novel  Rob Roy  (1817) and Ivanhoe (1820) cemented Scott's fame as an author of historical fiction.

 

U.S. author James Fennimore Cooper published his first historical novel in 1821 and his classic The Last of the Mohicans (set in 1757) came in 1826.   The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a famous 19th-century American historical novel, one that is still read today.  Charles Dickens published his novel set in the French Revolution , A Tale of Two Cities,  in 1859.  There are quite a few additional examples of historical novels in English before 1861.

 

On the world scene, some classic Chinese historical novels date from the 1300's.   La Princesse de Clèves is a French work from 1678 set against  events in France more than 100 years earlier has all the characteristics of a historical novel.  Again, examples  abound of non-English-language historical novels before 1861.

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

I don't know how strict a definition of "historical novel" you're using, but world and English literature have numerous historical novels published before 1861.  The first English-language historical novel in modern form is considered by some to be  Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley,  which was published in 1814.  https://www.britannica.com/art/historical-novel  Rob Roy  (1817) and Ivanhoe (1820) cemented Scott's fame as an author of historical fiction.

 

U.S. author James Fennimore Cooper published his first historical novel in 1821 and his classic The Last of the Mohicans (set in 1757) came in 1826.   The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a famous 19th-century American historical novel, one that is still read today.  Charles Dickens published his novel set in the French Revolution , A Tale of Two Cities,  in 1859.  There are quite a few additional examples of historical novels in English before 1861.

 

On the world scene, some classic Chinese historical novels date from the 1300's.   La Princesse de Clèves is a French work from 1678 set against  events in France more than 100 years earlier has all the characteristics of a historical novel.  Again, examples  abound of non-English-language historical novels before 1861.

Yes, there were preceding novels.

 

"The Cloister and the Hearth" is considered the first of the historical novels, for the following reasons:

 

Historical accuracy: Reade meticulously researched the 15th-century setting, incorporating authentic details about daily life, customs, and historical events. This level of historical accuracy was groundbreaking for the time.

 

Vivid World Building: The novel is renowned for its vivid and immersive portrayal of 15th-century Europe. Reade brings the era to life through detailed descriptions of cities, landscapes, and the daily lives of people from various social classes.

 

Complex characters: The novel features a cast of richly drawn and complex characters who are products of their historical context. Their struggles, motivations, and relationships are grounded in the realities of the time period.

 

Focus on ordinary people: Unlike many earlier historical novels that focused on royalty and nobility, "The Cloister and the Hearth" centers on the lives of ordinary people, including a young scholar, his beloved, and their families. This focus on everyday life added a new dimension to the historical novel.

 

While other novels before did have some of the elements mentioned, none had all of them.

 

 

[Evil Penevil]

38 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

 

While other novels before did have some of the elements mentioned, none had all of them.

 

Your list of attributes of a historical novel is very subjective and not one that is universally accepted.  It's almost impossible to argue objectively that Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth  better fulfills the points you named than the works of Scott, Dickens or Fenimore Cooper, all of whom are generally regarded as superior writers to Reade.  The one exception could be Reade's attention to historical detail, but that's not a "make-or-break" characteristic of a historical novel.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Your list of attributes of a historical novel is very subjective and not one that is universally accepted.  It's almost impossible to argue objectively that Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth  better fulfills the points you named than the works of Scott, Dickens or Fenimore Cooper, all of whom are generally regarded as superior writers to Reade.  The one exception could be Reade's attention to historical detail, but that's not a "make-or-break" characteristic of a historical novel.

Interesting comment, as I posted responses from AI after asking it what made Charles Reade's novel special. I was under the impression AI was impartial and objective.

 

It's not universally accepted  vaccines save people from death or serious impairment either.

 

You have your opinion. I have mine. Let's leave it at that.

[GammaGlobulin]

9 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Fenimore Cooper, all of whom are generally regarded as superior writers to Reade. 

 

Fenimore is still the JOKE he always was.

Any evidence to the contrary, by the way?

 

Not only a JOKE, but a LAUGHINGSTOCK of literary circles.

 

OH, don't get me started on circles, because Fenimore, if you had put him in the woods, would have traveled endlessly, in circles.

 

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Fenimore is still the JOKE he always was.

Any evidence to the contrary, by the way?

 

Not only a JOKE, but a LAUGHINGSTOCK of literary circles.

 

OH, don't get me started on circles, because Fenimore, if you had put him in the woods, would have traveled endlessly, in circles.

 

 I wasn't claiming James Fenimore Cooper was a great writer, only that he was superior to Charles Reade.  I know Mark Twain lampooned his style of writing as overly wordy, but Cooper was nevertheless the most profilic and widely read American author of the first half of the 19th century.  Despite his shortcomings, he's been called by some, including the Britannica Web site, "the first major American novelist." https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Fenimore-Cooper

 

Humanities, the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, had an article titled, "In Defense of Cooper."  The suheading stated, "James Fenimore Cooper was a major literary innovator with fans such as Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad. Take that, Mark Twain."  https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/septemberoctober/feature/in-defense-cooper

 

The first paragraph of the article notes, "Almost single-handedly in the 1820s, Cooper invented the key forms of American fiction—the Western, the sea tale, the Revolutionary romance—forms that set a suggestive agenda for subsequent writers, even for Hollywood and television. In producing and shrewdly marketing fully 10 percent of all American novels in the 1820s, most of them best sellers, Cooper made it possible for other aspiring authors to earn a living by their writings. Cooper can be said to have invented not just an assortment of literary genres but the very career of the American writer."

 

You can read more academic assessment and critical essays of Cooper at A Historical Guide to James Fenimore Cooper.

https://academic.oup.com/book/48372?login=false

Those academics don't regard his writing as a joke or laughingstock.