Float Up and Down

Author: Margaret Mitchell (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-09-01
Features: It is rare for a writer to achieve worldwide fame and a place in literary history with just one work. Margaret Mitchell, an American female writer, is one such exceptional author. Her only novel, Gone with the Wind, became an instant bestseller in American literature upon its release. Since its publication in 1936, Gone with the Wind, a romance set during the American Civil War, has broken all publishing records. In 1937, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize. Three years later, it was adapted into a film, which itself became a classic in American cinema history.
The story takes place in the years leading up to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Scarlett O'Hara, a young girl living in the South, is deeply influenced by Southern cultural traditions, yet a wild and rebellious spirit flows in her veins. As the flames of war spread and living conditions deteriorate, Scarlett's rebellious nature becomes more pronounced and distinctive. Through a series of setbacks, she transforms herself, altering not only her own destiny but that of her entire family, becoming a symbol of the new woman shaped by the times.
While depicting the characters' lives and love, the novel also outlines the similarities and differences between the North and South at all levels—political, economic, and cultural. It has a strong epic style, serving as a realistic portrayal of a pivotal period in American history. At the same time, it has also become an enduring classic of romance.