Southern Daughter: The Life of Margaret Mitchell
Gone with the Wind swept away the public when it appeared in 1937 and later when it became the most successful film epic of its time. In this well-documented biography, which contains never-before-published material, Pyron has unearthed the fascinating life of its author. Born into the upper crust of Atlanta society, she eschewed the role of Southern lady to be a journalist. After quitting, she began to write the novel that would set a standard for historical realism in fiction. She was a perceptive perfectionist whose characters were genealogically linked to her own family. Obsessed with the novel and uncomfortable with its ensuing success, she eventually withdrew into a world dominated by ill health. The author treats the multifaceted Mitchell evenhandedly and empathizes with the crosscurrents in her life, as she tried to counterbalance her ties with the antebellum South and her interest in the contemporary literary scene of the 1920s. Particularly fascinating is the chapter that traces the making of the film and the search for the perfect Scarlett. Recommended for public libraries and Mitchell scholars. (Illustrations not seen.)-- Mary Ellen Beck, Troy P.L., N.Y.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.