Why is the novel "Gone with The Wind" not taught at universities? ?

Although it has memorable characters, gripping events, and a significant setting--probably the best fictional account of life in the South just before, during, and in the yeara after Civil War--it's just not usually considered Literature (note the capital L). One criticism of it that I've heard is that it's "written all on one level." It does lack much profound insight such as is found in some of the standard works taught in American Literature classes. On the other hand, it's certainly capable of stimulating animated discussion and debate! Do YOU think Rhett came back? What became of Ashley after Melanie's death? Did you notice that in the book it's CHARLES's pistol with which Scarlett kills the Yankee deserter, not Rhett's? We could go on and on!

Another difficulty, of course, is that it's not policitcally correct. Even the strongest black characters are presented as dependent--even Mammy to some degree, as Scarlett finds when she arrives home after the taking of Atlanta. (On the other hand, there's Mammy's memorable ultimatum when she and Scarlett travel to Atlanta the following year--if Scarlett doesn't know the lady whose coachman is renting her carriage on her bahalf as a cab, "Then we walk!") Then the generally positive depiction of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan are serious impediments to today's readers. It may take several more decades for students to be able to read and analyze GWTW without reacting against these impressions.

Another possible drawback is simply that Margaret Mitchel never wrote anything else! If she had lived to develop as a novelist, her later works may have inspired more critical respect and in turn led to a more positive look at her first opus. True, being a one-book author seems not to have handicapped Harper Lee! Perhaps its time for some university to offer an intensive seminar on those two books together!

I have never read it, but generally there has been a bias against "popular" fiction, although I know those barriers have broken down somewhat over the years. It could just be that Mitchell's novel is considered mediocre at best by literary types and not part of the main stream interest. For example, you can find a class on The Simpsons I'm sure. Hope this helps. EbI

1. It isn't historically accurate or insightful, thus you won't find it in a history course. Nobody in their right mind would read it to get a view of the Civil War era. I could see it read in a course titled something like "Cultural myths in the post civil war south"

2. While popular, it isn't a great piece of literature. People aren't going to read it to imitate the great prose. They also aren't going to read it to see it's influence on later great novels. So why would you expect it to be "taught" at a university? If they're going to use pop books in a writing course, they'd be a lot more likely to use current ones.

Not everyone can plow through a book that long. I once read it in 3 days, but I'm a fast reader, it was over spring break, and I didn't do anything else. Also, it has a lot of racist references in it, so most professors would be somewhat gun-shy about tackling it.

I don't know but it is sure a good book.