Gone with the Wind in Overdue Podcast

Sep 05, 2012 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, classic, lovey-dovey

Loved it one of my favorites

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Dec 15, 2024 Edward Chamberlin rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Elemental," for whatever reason, is the word that comes to my mind when thinking about this American epic. The characters are so vividly depicted, the various set-piece scenes so iconic (the fall of Atlanta, that first barbecue that stands in for the entirety of antebellum Southern culture, Ashley and Scarlett in the orchard, and so many others), and the reach of the novel so big and emblematic. What other milieu could fit this world of oversize characters and emotions than the traumatic event "Elemental," for whatever reason, is the word that comes to my mind when thinking about this American epic. The characters are so vividly depicted, the various set-piece scenes so iconic (the fall of Atlanta, that first barbecue that stands in for the entirety of antebellum Southern culture, Ashley and Scarlett in the orchard, and so many others), and the reach of the novel so big and emblematic. What other milieu could fit this world of oversize characters and emotions than the traumatic event in American history? Where else could indomitable survivors like Scarlett, the most rascally-of-rascals Rhett, pure-hearted Melanie (her and Rhett might just be two of my favorite characters in literary history), and dreamlike Ashley thrive other than the defining moment of American history? Everything about this book is American--how Scarlett represents the coldly capitalistic instincts that have so often underpinned the American Dream to many; how Melanie perfectly captures that image of American liberty and goodness that underpinned the beliefs that were at the core of our founders and the patriotic through the years; Ashley is almost a warning about how men (and women) can get some caught up in overthinking and pride and honor, and do immoral, foolish things. Hell, the underlying racism that runs throughout the book is the most American thing about it. I do think Mammy is a great character, and I also do think that race is depicted in a way that was accurate to the characters of the time. I love the part where Ashley complains of how Scarlett uses convict labor, and Scarlett is the only character clear-headed enough to say, "Ashley, you owned slaves!"

I really wish I had read this before seeing the movie, because I think it would have been even more powerful, but that's something I can't take back. I'm not sure which is the finer achievement in its own field--the book or the movie--but they're both masterpieces. I look forward to rewatching the movie again.

I really do feel the strongest achievement of the book is how complete of a world it depicts. I'm sure its great length adds to this, but length is not the only thing that created this. I have very rarely seen such a great cast of characters, and even the minor ones are fleshed out vividly and with finesse. The greatest creation of the book is easily Rhett, and although he is sometimes superhuman, both in how infinite his intelligence, his human understanding, his skill, and in the shamelessly romantic way that his sexual appeal is depicted, I forgive the author this, because he is just such a great character. Every single damn line he has is iconic. Melanie is the ultimate depiction of human goodness, and Scarlett the ultimate depiction of both human vanity and the indomitable spirit of survivors. I loved Ashley, too, but could see how others might not like him as much. I can certainly relate to his hesitance, his self-loathing, and his interior life. I can also relate to Scarlett's tendency to project a fantasy onto her image of Ashley.

I really don't think the ending could have been any different than it was. Of course there could be a billion different outcomes that happen after the pages of the novel end, but it ended at the perfect point. Honestly, I think Scarlett and Rhett would realistically end up getting back together again. I do think he did love her that much that he would eventually come back. And I also think that if they got back into a relationship, they would make their lives miserable again, and God only knows what would happen at that point. I think it's actually a realistic depiction of love, and how love intermingles with various other human failings and frailties to create the chaos that is life. And that's one of the big reasons why I love it. Another, and perhaps the biggest reason, as I mentioned above, is how it projects these phenomenal characters and their high drama onto the biggest stage in American history. I don't know if I'd give this book 4.5 or 5 stars, and ultimately it doesn't matter ("My dear, I don't give a damn"--note how there's no "Frankly" in the novel). What a thrilling book! ...more

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