All Time Classics: Gone with the Wind - 80 Years On

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge required but prior viewing of the film is a daistinct advantage.

Special Information

None required as all readings will be in the form of handouts or online articles. There is no need for students buy a DVD of Gone with the Wind unless they especially wish to do so. 

Content of Course

This course will consist of two sessions of 2.5 hours each, to be held in the morning and the afternoon of one day. Each session will comprise a mixture of lecture, discussion and film clips.

1. The Morning Session will include a brief history of the making and worldwide public reception of Gone with the Wind. In this session, we will also examine its place in the history of Hollywood melodrama and compare it with other key films dealing with the Civil War and the American South.

2. The Afternoon Session will involve a critical examination of the sexual and racial politics of Gone with the Wind. To what degree can Scarlett O’Hara be seen as a pioneering feminist heroine? How do she and Melanie Hamilton serve as contrasting and alternative role models for women? How does the film address the issue of slavery? Is it – as some would maintain - a ‘racist’ film? Or is it one that depicts a racist society in unacceptably romanticised terms?

Teaching method(s)

The emphasis in this course throughout the day will be on student participation and on interaction with both the course tutor and with other students. Students will be encouraged (but not required) to view the film in its entirety outside of class and also to read Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 source novel. Key scenes from the film will be screened in class and selected short extracts from the novel will be made available as handouts. For the purpose of comparison, students will also view clips from a number of other key films about the American South before and during the Civil War – notably The Birth of a Nation (1915), Jezebel (1938), Raintree County (1957), Mandingo (1975) and Twelve Years a Slave (2013).

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss the different ways in which history has been depicted or distorted on film.

• Describe the importance of film in the changing role and status of women – particularly as regards ‘feminist’ role models.

• Explain the problematic nature of racial characterisation and ethnic stereotyping on film.

• Evaluate the importance of Gone with the Wind in the wider context of film melodrama and the notion of the Hollywood blockbuster.

Sources

Core Readings

There is no required reading apart from class handouts and links to online articles. The following are highly recommended as supplementary sources:

• Haskell, Molly (2009) Frankly, My Dear: ‘Gone with the Wind’ Revisited, New Haven & London, Yale University Press

• Lambert, Gavin (1973) GWTW: The Making of ‘Gone with the Wind’, London, Little Brown & Co

• Mitchell, Margaret (2017) Gone with the Wind, London, Pan Books

• Wilson, Steve (2014) The Making of ‘Gone with the Wind’, Houston, The University of Texas Press

• For independent viewing of the film, the following edition is especially recommended:

• Gone with the Wind, Special Collector’s Edition Box Set (2005) Warner Home Video DVD

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.