Scarlett's Women: Gone With the Wind and Its Female Fans

by Helen Taylor

One of the most successful books ever published and the basis of one of the most popular and highly praised Hollywood films of all time, Gone With the Wind has entered world culture in a way that few other stories have. Seventy-five years on from the cinematic release of Gone with the Wind , Helen Taylor looks at the reasons why the book and film have had such an appeal, especially for women. Drawing on letters and questionnaires from female fans, she brings together material from southern history, literature, film and feminist theory and discusses the themes of the Civil War and issues of race. She has previously written Gender, Race and Region in the writings of Grace King, Ruth McEnery Stuart and Kate Chopin and The Daphne Du Maurier Companion .

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Pop Culture, Literary Criticism, Film, Books About Books, American Civil War

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

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Reviews

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable treatise on the enduring appeal to generations of women, of GWTW, which looks at the experiences and memories they associate with the book, and film. It's not afraid to tackle the uncomfortable aspects, of the historical, and racist South either.
This is a reprint, as it was originally published in the 80s so there are aspects that are outdated, especially regarding the three sequel/prequels that have since been published, and of course the election of Obama and now Trump . . .

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to read about Margaret Mitchell, to read about the political controversy of GWTW, book & movie - some people always found it objectionable in it's glorifying the antebellum south. This academic book is from the late 80s, so it gets into the race question quite thoroughly.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading GWTW, I've been in turn engrossed, fascinated, and sickened by the novel, so to untangle some of the more complicated reactions I thought it might be helpful to engage with other perspectives. (Although the fact that I was happy to put the novel aside to read about it instead of continuing on with the second half, is more damning than complimentary...) This book did provide some interesting historical context about: the writing of the novel, making of the movie, reactions at the time, and the breadth of readers/viewers' experiences with it. However, overall it lacked the depth of analysis or critique that I was truly seeking (as well as distracting awkward sentence constructions), so I'm left still unsatisfied.

[Christina Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this when it first came out, as some phrases were familiar. It wasn't as fan-girl as I had hoped, and I wish it had been published a few years later because it references, with breathless anticipation, the upcoming abomination that was the "Scarlett" sequel. Oh, the innocence.

The best review of "Scarlett" I ever read was "Ain't fittin. It just ain't fittin."

[┊ ♡ Cordelia ♡┊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

COMPLETED JULY 2021. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/☆

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹

I like Helen Taylor’s contemplation of Gone with the Wind in this book, but feel that she’s way off in her analysis of Margaret Mitchell & her purpose in writing Gone with the Wind. The book was published in 1989 so ’tis a little outdated in its presentation of the modern female response to Gone with the Wind, but there’s a ton of relevant commentary inside, & it’s interesting to read about what women thought of the book (& film) from its publication up to the 1980s. The respondents were mostly white British or white American women with a few black American women, but the book extensively comments on the book’s legacy for black Americans and the work of writers like Alice Walker, Margaret Walker, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, & Sherley Anne Williams to respond to Gone with the Wind's legacy.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems rather polemical; the author is either unrelentingly vicious in her criticism or overly generous and praising in her discussion of GWTW's influence. There is definitely a great deal of fascinating information here, especially the stories of British women watching the movie while under siege--some never learning the ending until years later due to evacuations at the end of the film!

I mostly agree with her criticisms of the novel, but it is rather obvious Helen Taylor did not have access to newly discovered information, nor to the better biographies beyond Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell. Thus, most of her assessments of Mitchell and her family are drawn from conjecture, not fact. Nevertheless, this is an insightful and thought-provoking read--one I almost completed in one night!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo interesting! I loved it. It's a collection of stories from women from all over the world, from the time the book was first published until the 1990's (when THIS book was published) of how Gone with the Wind affected these women's lives. A journalist from England started out just writing an article for a magazine on the influence of GWTW, but she got so many responses she decided to make it a book. Very fascinating read!

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made a few good points and interesting observations but was definitely more subjective than I expected. I feel like it could have dug in more to why people dislike Gone With the Wind as a contrast to the reactions of fans of the book.

[Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually used this book to write part of a paper in literature class last semester. Very interesting, and helps me feel less silly in my adoration.

[Sarah Bierle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for research project. Insightful book.