Part One - Gone With The Wind

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Discuss Part One Here

[Janina]

I haven't participated in one of the long reads yet, but would like to do so with Gone with the Wind. How do you usually go about this? Do you schedule certain parts of the books for a particular month? Or everyone just reads at their own pace?

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Janina wrote: "I haven't participated in one of the long reads yet, but would like to do so with Gone with the Wind. How do you usually go about this? Do you schedule certain parts of the books for a particular m..."

Hey Janina! Sorry I missed this post until now - silly Goodreads notifications!

When we do these, we just do three months - everyone at their own pace. I will break the discussion down into parts to make it easier to discuss without spoiling.

It would be great to have you along! :)

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Regarding the depiction of slaves in Gone With the Wind:

I have heard that this is a controversial topic (which is no surprise). It seems that some people don't like the book because of it. Other people accept it as a representation of how things were at the time.

One thing I am noticing - if they are thinking that the depiction is disrespectful - is that it seems like the author is making the slaves seem smarter, wiser, and more grounded than the owners (even with the attempt to capture the dialect on paper). While Scarlett, the twins, etc. act all silly, pine over crushes, and make ignorant statements about life in general, the slaves watch from the sidelines basically shaking their heads at this behavior. I am only 100 pages in so maybe this changes.

What do others think?

[Janina]

Thanks Matthew.
I've only just started with the book. I read it once before quite a few years ago, but I don't recall how I perceived the depiction of slaves in the book. I think it might have an edge of glorification of the lifestyle around it? As in slavery being depicted in terms of good vs bad slave owners and romanticizing the good slave owners even though the entire idea of slavery is an atrocity no matter how the slave is treated.

But, it's been years since I've seen either the movie or read the book, so I may have it mixed up with other stories dealing with that period.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Janina wrote: "Thanks Matthew.
I've only just started with the book. I read it once before quite a few years ago, but I don't recall how I perceived the depiction of slaves in the book. I think it might have an ..."

Mammy - the O'Hara's slave - definitely talks down about other slaves like they are below her. That might be what you are thinking about.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Rough ending to Part One for Scarlett. Her silly, boy crazy life that started Part One comes crashing down to Earth with quick decisions made and the onset of the Civil War. Really, most of it happened very quickly in the short chapter that ends part one. Lots of build up for a quick crash landing!

[Janina]

It's hard for me to not see the film when reading this book.
I'm having the hardest time reading the dialogues by the slaves in part one .. it's probably me not being a native speaker, but I have to read all of the words aloud for them to make sense to me. Which seems quite odd.
I think part one serves mostly to introduce Scarlett's character .. after all a lot is about her and the way the war etc affects her. And she does not (yet) show much interest in anything but flirting with boys, so it's fitting that there isn't much of a buildup toward the war in a way.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Janina wrote: "It's hard for me to not see the film when reading this book.
I'm having the hardest time reading the dialogues by the slaves in part one .. it's probably me not being a native speaker, but I have t..."

I think that dialogue would be difficult for anyone!