Gone with the Wind

Name: Gone with the Wind
Author: Margaret Mitchell

Gone with the Wind is a novel by Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. It tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, from her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes, whom she is forced to reject due to his marriage to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, to her marriage to Rhett Butler, the man she truly loves. The novel follows Scarlett through the American Civil War and Reconstruction, as she struggles to rebuild her family's plantation, Tara, and her life. Along the way, she must contend with the changing social order, the destruction of the Old South, and her own inner demons. The novel is a classic of American literature, and has been adapted into a popular film of the same name, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

By Margaret Mitchell · First published 1936 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Southern Gothic · 60 chapters · 424,822 words

First lines

Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin--that skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.

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Gone with the Wind is listed on Textopian as a novel by Margaret Mitchell, dated 1936 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Margaret Mitchell
Date: 1936 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Southern Gothic, Drama
Length: 424,822 words
Structure: 63 chapters, 14,001 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genres

Historical Fiction — Gone with the Wind is set in the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction era, and follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, a Southern belle.
Romance — The novel follows the romantic relationship between Scarlett and Rhett Butler, and the obstacles they face in their love story.
Southern Gothic — The novel contains elements of Southern Gothic, such as the use of grotesque characters and settings, and the exploration of themes such as racism, poverty, and violence.
Drama — Gone with the Wind is a dramatic story of love, loss, and survival in a time of great upheaval.

More by Margaret Mitchell

All works by Margaret Mitchell