The Way Of Food: A New Interpretation Of The Old South In Gone With The Wind

American writer Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind ” has been very popular with many readers since 1936. Most researchers focus on two aspects: the analysis of the character and interpretation trough feminism. The Southern society and the South civilization are rarely involved. Based on the perspective of “diet”, this thesis will discuss the Old South and its culture in “Gone with the Wind ” through close reading and cultural studies, and to interpret the southern myth as it is created by Margaret Mitchell, hence to explore the aesthetic value and historical value of the novel.This thesis is divided into six parts altogether: The first part is an introduction, which introduces the book “Gone with the Wind ” and its author Margaret Mitchell, as well as the literature review. The second part, based on the definition of the Old South, will take the barbecue which is most common in Old South as perspective, to discuss the social scene and the traditional value in the Old South. The third part, based on the study of the part and frequency while people eating meat, to discuss the awareness of hierarchy among the blacks and whites, interior and exterior, in the Old Southern. The fourth part will discuss the gender awareness of the Old Southern thorough wine and other social phenomenon. The fifth part of this thesis will discuss the changes of the social order in the Old South after the Civil War by describing the changes in the food supply, and the self-construction of protagonist Scarlett through food. The sixth part is the conclusion.