Saturday, September 23, 2006

It Is Time

Alison is feeling much better: thanks to my careful ministrations, which have included feeding her a veggie-burger takeaway and demanding every five minutes "how are you feeling?!" so I can blog about something more important.

It is the end of summer: actually, it's past the end of summer. And as many of you know, that means one thing and one thing only. It is time to read "Gone With the Wind." For nearly five years now, at the end of every August I carefully re-read the beloved text, making sure that everything turns out the way it's supposed to. Ashley Wilkes, that coward, marries Melanie whom we all have a grudging respect for, and Rhett Butler sweeps Scarlett off her feet. *sigh* I don't read romance novels, but for some reason this one really appeals to me. I suspect it's because of Scarlett. She IS a good role model: brought up in a strict, traditional society, she breaks the mould and alienates herself to be able to support herself in a male-dominated world. Not sure if I agree with her using her looks to get ahead, but I suppose with all the obstacles she has to overcome, she needs every trick in the feminine toolbox.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about Scarlett's 17 inch waist in the future (20 inches after three kids) but right now I have to go make myself pretty for a party. I think that's the only problem I have with the copy at the library: the cover is the dishy picture of Clark Gable sweeping Vivien Leigh off her feet, so now when I'm on the Tube it looks like I'm ready a trashy romance novel instead of a piece of 20th century American literature.

1 comment:

Laura said...

Must be about that time because I've found it necessary to re-read the Persian Boy after re-reading Fire From Heaven earlier this year. Not exactly a romance novel- but just as good as. Makes me think maybe we should just start reading romance novels, eh?