Episode 8: Gone With the Wind : Part Two

Here we are, didn't you miss us? We're back from hiatus! If you've stuck with us, then bully for you. We finally drag ourselves through the rest of this biblically long novel and it's actually quite a fun time. You might notice poor audio quality at certain points of the recording, and we sincerely apologize, but we hope you can bear with us. We also discuss Magic Required by H. S. Paisley; find the author on Instagram @hspaisley. And follow us at @litinlovepod. We hope you enjoy and that you'll catch us next episode with Frankenstein and Warm Bodies!

Original publish date: 10/08/2019

Note from the podcasters: We don't feel great about many elements of these GWTW episodes. Racism is everpresent and insidious in everyday media, but it is especially blatant in this novel. A common excuse that people tend to use is that it was a different time, or that it was normal for southern plantation owners to dehumanize and violate the human rights of the people they held captive. It was a culture-shifting novel, as was the movie made based on it, but it was written well after a war fought for human rights that intentionally centered the slaveowner as a protagonist and gave sympathy to Confederate efforts with a palpable hatred for Yankees. Scarlett is a brat, but we are made to picture the glamorous gowns she wears, and we picture Vivien Leigh looking beautiful in a movie still. When Margaret Mitchell could have made a strong stance against slavery, she instead included racist and stereotyped depictions of black men and women who were enslaved by the O'Hara family, slurs used against black people, and mistreatment and injustice as small side notes or humorous anecdotes. It feels uncomfortable to confront the lack of condemnation of slavery in this novel, but we have to do it. We should look at every piece of media through a critical lens, especially when they involve human rights.

Relevant links with great articles to learn more:

https://collider.com/gone-with-the-wind-book-problems/

https://nypost.com/2015/06/24/gone-with-the-wind-should-go-the-way-of-the-confederate-flag/