Finished GWTW but...

Slip cover of my copy of GWTW.

I started reading this Gone With The Wind at the end of September and finished it today, Sunday December 1st. The edition I read was 954 pages (not abridged) but some of the paperback editions are 1400 pages!

I found this book to be an easy read. I wanted to keep reading. So many people's opinion of the story is influenced by the movie. But I have not seen the movie yet. I will do that soon (although watching a DVD over numerous days is not the same as a singular experience in a theater).

There is so much to say about this book, this story but due to the political correctness climate today I could not say much without offending someone. Indeed, having merely read the book is likely a horrible sin according to some. We are increasingly approaching the world of  Fahrenheit 451.

In today's "Woke" climate, there is much in GWTW to trigger being offended but perhaps these are not necessarily unique to GWTW. The author of GWTW reportedly said the novel was about survival. Scarlet goes through 3 husbands, the loss of her parents, the loss of a child, the Civil War including the Battle of Atlanta and Sherman's March to the Sea, and Reconstruction. I was motivated to go online to look into more about the history of these events. Over the years I have learned that it helps to consult multiple sources to attempt to achieve a sense of balance and truth (but is it ever really possible to reach absolute truth?).

Sample of chapter illustration (by Ben Stahl).

The book also has something of a feminist slant because Scarlet becomes a business woman in order to be in control and retain some sort of personal power and independence. In that vein the book also touches on the war between the sexes. 

A critical aspect of the story is Scarlet's infatuation with Ashley. Over time, her experience finally wakes her to the reality that he is not what she made him to be. There is a parallel view of how the South viewed "the cause." There is a similar orbit regarding her view of religion and God. There is much to contemplate in this book if one does not allow themselves to be distracted by contemporary values retrojected onto the novel. 

Now that I've read the book once, I am curious to view the movie. It will be interesting to compare the movie to the book. Stay tuned.

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2019/09/starting-gwtw.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind_(novel)
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/05/fahrenheit-451.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_era
https://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp
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Written Tuesday 17 December 2019.