tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post8376495277643604349..comments2023-05-07T03:47:02.348-04:00Comments on The Rockville 8: Margaret Mitchell and Her Damn Good StoryThe Eighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03966202602120800766noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-14458706780605487532012-06-30T14:06:12.544-04:002012-06-30T14:06:12.544-04:00Damn good review!! GWTW is one of my all time fav...Damn good review!! GWTW is one of my all time favorites, I read it over and over as a teenager. So sad that she died before she was able to write another book. I didn't know anything about her life, like the secret donations to Morehouse. If I ever get to Atlanta I'll have to make the pilgrimage to her house.Karen K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13483190930383406559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-67543499409523890402012-06-29T20:19:03.704-04:002012-06-29T20:19:03.704-04:00Hi Shellie!
I read GWTW when I was 14. It was so ...Hi Shellie!<br /><br />I read GWTW when I was 14. It was so accessible, even to a teenaged Midwesterner who was neither priveledged nor of an age to try to be the belle of the ball and get into such romantic entanglements! Maybe that's Peggy's real triumph: she's readable no matter where you are or where you're from.<br /><br />By the way, my father in law knew Gable during WWII. Unlike Rhett, he served his country humbly. I marvel when I recall he did his duty during the height of his celebrity. What a guy!Nichole Christoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799006710672537142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-27816827726968437292012-06-29T17:49:17.903-04:002012-06-29T17:49:17.903-04:00Hi Lisa,
What a wonderful analysis of what makes ...Hi Lisa,<br /><br />What a wonderful analysis of what makes this story such a page turner and the characters so memorable. I like your description of Melly and Ashley as "vanilla." Rhett and Scarlet are both red hot chili peppers. I was always really sad when Rhett finally gave up and left Scarlett. Too little too late on her part.<br /><br />And I agree, her perseverance and spunky keep you rooting for Scarlett despite very very bad behavior.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by to chat.<br /><br />Stay cool out there.Shellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-41857928652979764642012-06-29T15:25:07.306-04:002012-06-29T15:25:07.306-04:00Hi Shellie -
I read Gone with the Wind when I wa...Hi Shellie - <br /><br />I read Gone with the Wind when I was in the 8th grade and I loved it. I had seen the movie on TV shortly before that. Candy's right - I think it's a Yankee vs. Southern thing. <br /><br />In college, I read a biography on Margaret Mitchell. She was quite a spunky little thing. It was really interesting - I remember staying up well into the night to finish it. I really admired her. One thing I remember from that book is that she knew a lot of old men who had been in the Civil War and they would tell her stories about it. I think that's what gives the book such an authentic ring.<br /><br />You mention that it's hard to make a hateful character like Scarlett likable. I think that her strength through the difficult times makes her admirable even if you don't like her personally. Wondering how she's going face each crisis kept me turning the pages. <br /><br />I also think that Melly's character is so sweet and good that though you love her, she is boring. It's refreshing when Scarlett shows up on the scene and makes things interesting. She is a great juxtaposition for Scarlett. <br /><br />I also think that Scarlett is a metaphor for the southern plantation lifestyle. Many of the big plantation owners were obscenely rich, spoiled and used to getting their own way. No one challenged their way of life or their thinking until the Civil War. In the aftermath, they had to find a new way to survive just as Scarlett did. <br /><br />Scarlett thinks she wants Ashley - the most vanilla, boring man on the planet. He gives in to her just like her father always did which is one of the reasons she wants him. The other is because he doesn't want her, it becomes a challenge for her to make him want her. Scarlett loves a challenge and Ashley unintentionally hands her one that consumes her. I also think that the challenge of pursuing Ashley gives her mind a break from the fact that her world is crumbling around her. I think focusing on this goal is part of what keeps her from crumbling with it. <br /><br />Ashley and Melly are perfect for each other. You'd like them as friends, respect their goodness but they're not exactly the people you want to party with. Rhett challenges her thinking and is exactly who she should be with. Her stubbornness keeps her from seeing this and it takes him leaving for her to finally realize that she loves Rhett.<br /><br />Great post, Shellie!Lisa McQuayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08261421741139099750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-42716263805769187592012-06-28T09:26:27.487-04:002012-06-28T09:26:27.487-04:00Hi Kathy,
It's always good to hear from you. ...Hi Kathy,<br /><br />It's always good to hear from you. <br /><br />Yes fate led me there and I've mulled over lots of new thoughts following that visit. <br /><br />One thing I've been thinking about is how to make a nasty piece of baggage like Scarlett loveable. She has to grow and transform for the reader to care about her but how do you keep the reader engaged long enough to witness the transformation?<br /><br />Thoughts?Shellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-75594248295834355302012-06-27T19:22:39.101-04:002012-06-27T19:22:39.101-04:00Shellie, thank you for teaching me something today...Shellie, thank you for teaching me something today! I never knew much about Margaret Mitchell--how fascinating that she fought for equal education for African Americans! She certainly lived her own adventure. You make a great point about compelling characters--we'll forgive a lot in a story if we're hooked on the characters. So glad that you followed fate to the Margaret Mitchell house! :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-83692535161184205012012-06-27T13:04:56.930-04:002012-06-27T13:04:56.930-04:00Hi Candy,
You know Scarlett is a self center bitc...Hi Candy,<br /><br />You know Scarlett is a self center bitch. A lot of people will tell you not to write a strong, potentially hateful character like that. How do you redeem that character, how do you make the reader care. Somehow Margaret Mitchell does it. <br /><br />By the end, you root for Scarlett, her efforts to survive and keep her family together, to save her home. Scarlett's not likeable but "as God is my witness" she's got guts and courage.<br /><br />ShellieShellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-11422370427730464182012-06-27T13:01:44.421-04:002012-06-27T13:01:44.421-04:00Hi Maggie,
The best part of the visit was learnin...Hi Maggie,<br /><br />The best part of the visit was learning that this great Southern writer had a social conscious and wasn't just like Scarlett. That assumption on my part had driven me away from respecting Margaret Mitchell and being interested in her story.<br /><br />Now I'm fascinated!Shellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-1230808133175149982012-06-27T12:59:26.442-04:002012-06-27T12:59:26.442-04:00Hi Evie,
Good storytelling is key. Sometimes, whe...Hi Evie,<br /><br />Good storytelling is key. Sometimes, when things are off about the character i think, mmm, maybe there's a reason and if I just hang in, all will be revealed. Sometimes that is the case and other times, its not.<br /><br />Compelling characters are like fantasy friends and lovers. I fell madly in love with Jamie Fraser oh, maybe 15 years ago (Outlander) and I know I was one of millions of women. I was actually jealous of Claire. Sick, right?<br /><br />ShellShellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-3655405200435372392012-06-27T12:55:00.975-04:002012-06-27T12:55:00.975-04:00Hi Keely,
I've had some Gableism too. and I&#...Hi Keely,<br /><br />I've had some Gableism too. and I've been GPeckish too!<br /><br />A friend told a editor about Peggy's book and on a whim Peggy gave it to the editor who took it back with him to NY. At the last minute she tried to get the MS back and the editor said "No way!" <br /><br />The stuff of fairy tales!Shellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-38709687265152879242012-06-27T11:48:06.543-04:002012-06-27T11:48:06.543-04:00How fun! I read every word of your blog post. Comi...How fun! I read every word of your blog post. Coming from Georgia, Margaret Mitchell is a legend, but I've never visited her house. You are way ahead of me, girl!<br /><br />And I suffer from Rhettism too.Maggie Toussainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12011893139722870283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-61599493943405056572012-06-26T23:06:04.566-04:002012-06-26T23:06:04.566-04:00Fascinating post, Shellie. I always love learning ...Fascinating post, Shellie. I always love learning about writers' lives. It's inspiring.<br /><br />I've never read GWTW either. It might be a yankie thing, I'm not sure. LOL. And I can't say I've ever watched the movie through to the finish. That being said, I still understand the references to Scarlett and Rhett because enough people have talked about them over the years that they've become cultural icons.<br /><br />I think compelling characters are important. If you don't make the reader care about your characters, they won't stick with you. They might buy your book, but they won't buy your next. There's too much competing for their attention out there that is compelling and flashy. So if you want to keep 'em, you gotta hook 'em.<br /><br />Great post! Loved hearing about MM's background. Thanks!Mackenzie Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508204115833993481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-84528404250758932682012-06-26T23:03:42.790-04:002012-06-26T23:03:42.790-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Mackenzie Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508204115833993481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-2323610861604541392012-06-26T21:11:11.395-04:002012-06-26T21:11:11.395-04:00Shellie, what an interesting side trip! Thanks for...Shellie, what an interesting side trip! Thanks for telling us about it. I have to admit that I've never read GWTW. I don't even think I've ever made it through the entire movie, though I have seen bits and pieces of it here and there. <br /><br />Characters are definitely one of the most important factors for me, in a good read. But not the most important, I guess, because I'm reading a book right now where there are a couple of Big Things that don't feel natural to the characters--more forced on them by the author in the interest of story-and each time one of them comes up, I think "Hmm." But then I keep reading because the author's voice is so engaging and I am with her. I am in the hands of the storyteller and I want to know where she takes me.Evie Owenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00309651867249109418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-21450402050146772912012-06-26T16:19:27.000-04:002012-06-26T16:19:27.000-04:00I want to know how the MS got out of the drawer an...I want to know how the MS got out of the drawer and into the hands of her publisher!! Magic? That loving second hubby? The cat? <br /><br />I admit I suffered less from Rhettism than from Gableism. I never (gasp) read the book, but gimme Clark Gable and I'll show you some steam. <br /><br />Joking aside, I'm on board with your premise: I can forgive a lot in a story if the characters command my attention. If I don't care about the who, I'm less likely to care about the what let alone the why of a story.Keely Thrallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05656529091898492453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-26029150209329229572012-06-26T13:16:40.793-04:002012-06-26T13:16:40.793-04:00Hi Diana,
Thanks for stopping by today to chat....Hi Diana, <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by today to chat. I don't remember how old I was when I read GWTW. The movie looms larger in my memory.<br /><br />Peggy died so young after GWTW was released as a book and movie that I don't think she finished another book. But I'm not sure about that.<br /><br />I haven't seen the documentary yet, but plan on doing it soon because she's such an intriguing person and now I want to know more.<br /><br />Hope you come by and see us again at the Rockville 8 again!<br /><br />ShellieShellie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597975902316586870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-20492587811448303172012-06-26T12:34:04.018-04:002012-06-26T12:34:04.018-04:00GWTW has always been one of my favorite novels, I ...GWTW has always been one of my favorite novels, I read it 8 times in the 8th grade, and yes, dreamed of Rhett. :) I didn't know all this info about her, thanks for sharing. I did always think it was so sad she died, what else would she have written? Or was she a one-book wonder?Diana Laynehttp://www.dianalayne.comnoreply@blogger.com