The publishers of “Gone with the Wind” will amend the latest printing of the classic American novel to include a trigger warning over racism and a new introduction that addresses “white supremacy.”
The London-based publishing house, Pan Macmillan, determined that a cautionary note was necessary to include with Margaret Mitchell’s detailed depiction of slavery in America during the Civil War.
The warning claims the epic 1936 Civil War drama contains “shocking elements” that were of its time, The Telegraph reports.
“The novel includes the representation of unacceptable practices, racist and stereotypical depictions and troubling themes, characterization, language and imagery,” the message reads.
“The text of this book remains true to the original in every way and is reflective of the language and period in which it was originally written.”
“We want to alert readers that there may be hurtful or indeed harmful phrases and terminology that were prevalent at the time this novel was written and which are true to the context of the historical setting of this novel.”
Along with the note, the publisher commissioned historical fiction writer Philippa Gregory to write a new forward for the novel addressing the “white supremacist” elements.
In the forward, Gregory claims the novel “tells us, unequivocally, that African people are not of the same species as white people. This is the lie that spoils the novel.”
Pan Macmillan did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The changes will likely come as a surprise to many fans of the work and its 1939 film adaptation, starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.
Although the story primarily focuses on the strong-willed Georgia belle Scarlett and her romance with Captain Butler during the Civil War, its backdrop of a southern plantation has drawn criticism for sanitizing slavery.
Last month, an unearthed script of the movie adaptation revealed that its production crew had actually argued about racially-charged scenes throughout the shooting of the film.
One of the arguments included cutting a scene where Scarlette threatens her black maid and other slaves with violence and another with selling her off so she would never see her family.
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