Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 33

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Gone with the Wind with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, an epic historical novel which tells the story of the beautiful but spoiled Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara as she struggles to save her family’s plantation in the aftermath of the American Civil War, as well as her turbulent romance with the charismatic older man Rhett Butler. The novel won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted into the film of the same name in 1939; the film went on to win eight Academy Awards and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

Find out everything you need to know about Gone with the Wind in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

MARGARET MITCHELL

AMERICAN NOVELIST

Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1900.Died in Atlanta, Georgia in 1949.Notable work:Gone with the Wind (1936), novel

Margaret Mitchell was born in the South of the USA in 1900. The other members of her family were keenly interested in the American Civil War (1861-1865), which meant that she grew up hearing stories about the conflict. She began studying medicine, but abandoned her studies after her mother’s death and went on to work as a journalist. From 1922 onwards, she wrote articles for the Atlanta Journal.

However, health problems forced her to abandon her career in journalism, and her husband suggested that she write a novel to occupy her time. The resulting work, Gone with the Wind, took three years to complete and was published in 1936. It was an immediate popular and critical success, captivating readers around the world and winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937.

GONE WITH THE WIND

A PANORAMA OF AMERICAN LIFE

Genre: novelReference edition: Mitchell, M. (2008) Gone with the Wind. New York: Pocket Books.1stedition: 1936Themes: American Civil War, American history, slavery, romantic disappointment, women’s condition

Gone with the Wind is both a historical novel which recounts the destruction wreaked by the American Civil War and a passionate love story with two iconic protagonists at its centre. Scarlett O’Hara is a temperamental, fiercely independent young woman who is determined to seduce the handsome Ashley Wilkes. When her world falls apart as a result of the ravages of the war, she draws on previously untapped reserves of courage to save the family plantation and restore it to its former glory. When she eventually marries Rhett Butler, a charming and passionate but somewhat uncouth man, she realises that she did not really love Ashley and that she has spent her life running after something she had already found in Rhett.

The film rights to the story were quickly bought, and Victor Fleming’s (American director, 1883-1949) adaptation was released in 1939, just three years after the publication of the novel. The film was a major success: even today, it is one of the most widely viewed films in the world, and it played a key role in elevating the two lovers to legendary status.

SUMMARY

A DEVASTATING WAR

The novel opens in Georgia in 1861. Scarlett O’Hara is a beautiful young woman from an upper-class Southern family who own the cotton plantation Tara. She is courted by some of the most eligible bachelors in the country but only has eyes for Ashley Wilkes, the heir to the neighbouring plantation, Twelve Oaks. However, when Ashley gets engaged to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, Scarlett, who is used to getting what she wants, decides to do everything in her power to seduce him. At Ashley and Melanie’s engagement party, she captures the attention of Rhett Butler, a charming, attractive, cynical and wealthy older man.

Now that the Civil War has broken out, Ashley moves his wedding date forward so that he can join the fighting afterwards. In a desperate attempt to make him jealous, Scarlett hastily marries Melanie’s brother Charles, who dies of pneumonia shortly after the wedding, before he even has the chance to travel to the front. Now widowed and carrying Charles’ baby, Scarlett goes to Atlanta and moves in with Melanie and her aunt in the hope of seeing Ashley when he comes back on leave. Life in Atlanta is difficult, as the war is raging and there are frequent shortages of basic products. The Confederate supporters keep hope through victory and defeat, and Scarlett reluctantly helps to treat the wounded. During a charity ball, she meets Rhett Butler again and causes a scandal by dancing with him when she is still dressed in her mourning clothes.