这个充满了悲欢离合的爱情故事发生在19世纪60年代初，美国南北战争期间。小说描述了一个国家完全被分裂时所发生的历史变化。同时刻画了两个人物。斯佳丽·奥哈拉是一个美丽但又极度自私的年轻女人，最终爱上了英俊的当过士兵的商人——瑞特·巴特勒。<br> 斯佳丽·奥哈拉不算漂亮，但是男人们，如周围一带的小伙子们被她迷住日寸，可很少意识到这一点。她的眼睛是浅绿的，微微上翘，周围是浓密的黑色睫毛。16岁的她，得益于母亲埃伦和保姆嬷嬷的管教，看起来非常迷人、可爱。可是实际上。她过于自信，有些顽固。她遗传了爱尔兰父亲易怒的脾气。却没有一点母亲无私的品质。<br> 16岁的斯佳丽已经认定自己找到了要嫁的人。她想嫁给——阿什礼·威尔克斯。她愿意表现得谦恭、愚蠢——如果这些特点能够吸引男人目光的话。但最近她听说，阿什礼·威尔克斯很快要和他的表妹梅拉妮·汉密尔顿，一个羞怯、听话的女孩子结婚，她的这些性格斯佳丽当然没有。他们的订婚消息要在威尔克斯家族举行的一个野餐会上公布。不过，斯佳丽对这个消息一点也不怕，因为她知道——或者说她认为——阿什礼深爱的是自己。只需要斯佳丽也爱他。<br> 她从来没有一个女友。也从没在这方面感到遗憾。对她而言，所有的女人，包括她的两个妹妹。都在追逐同样的目标——男人，成为她的敌人。所有的女人，只有一个例外，就是她的母亲。她知道母亲就是公正、真理、温柔、智慧的化身——一个伟大的女性。有朝一日，斯佳丽打算像母亲那样，但是唯一的麻烦就是要无私、减实。可要是这样的话，她就会失去生命中绝大部分的快乐，当然也少了许多男朋友。如果有一天，她和阿什礼结了婚。上了年纪，她就会像母亲埃伦一样，但是现在还没到那个时候……<br> This story of love and loss begins during the early 1860s dur-ing the American Civil War. The novel follows two characters as itillustrates the historic changes endured by a nation radically divid-ed. Scarlett Ohara is a beautiful, but terribly selfish young wom-an, who eventually falls in love with the handsome merchant sol-dier, Rhett Butler.<br> Scarlett Ohara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized itwhen caught by her charm as the local boys were. Her eyes werepale green, starred with thick black lashes and slightly tilted at theends. At sixteen, thanks to her mother, Ellen, and nurse, Mammy,she looked sweet and charming, but she was, in reality, overconfi-dent and stubborn. She had the easily stirred passions of her Irishfather and nothing of her mothers unselfish nature.<br> At sixteen years old, Scarlett had decided that she had foundthe man she wished to marry. Scarlett intended to marry- andmarry Ashley Wilkes- and she was willing to appear modest andfoolish if those were qualities that attracted men. She had recentlyheard, however, that Ashley Wilkes was soon to marry his cousin,Melanie Hamilton, a shy and obedient girl, certain qualities thatScarlett lacked. Their engagement was to be announced at a barbe-cue held at the Wilkes home. Scarlett was not frightened aboutthis news, though, as she knew Ashley was deeply in love with her,and needed only for Scarlett to return his love, or so she thought.<br> She had never had a girl friend, and she never felt any lack onthat account. To her, all women, including her two sisters, werenatural enemies in pursuit of the same object- men. All womenwith the one exception of her mother. She knew that her mother wasthe image of justice, truth, loving tenderness and wisdom--a greatlady. Someday, Scarlett planned to be like her mother, but the onlydifficulty was being unselfish and truthful, for which she wouldmiss most of the joys in life, and certainly many boys. Somedaywhen she was married to Ashley and old, she would be like Ellen,her mother, but until then…
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