Rhett Butler's People (2007) (edit title/settings)

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Rhett Kershaw Butler: Son of Langston and Elizabeth Kershaw Butler. Defies father and all other authority figures and institutions, including West Point. He is a self-declared renegade and does not want to be a rice planter. He loves the river and marshes of the South Carolina Low Country. Indifferent to rank, Rhett treats people for who they are, not their status in society, making life-long friends from all walks of life.
• Langston Butler: Arrogant rice growing planter who owns 14,000 acres - Broughton Plantation on the Ashley River in the South Carolina Low Country. Langston has tried beating his son Rhett into submission, sending him to a tutor, putting him to work in his rice fields like a slave, and finally sending him for discipline to West Point - all with no success, but to ensure Rhett will not follow in his father's footsteps.
• Elizabeth K Butler: A pious, plain woman. Deeply religious, she prays with the Watlings when her husband is away. Childen: Rhett, Julian, and much younger, Rosemary
• Hercules: Racehorse trainer for Langston Butler and highest ranking slave on Broughton Plantation
• John Haynes: Schoolmate of Rhett's and a steady, loyal, if somewhat dull, friend. Heir to his father's shipping business. Admires Rhett's sister Rosemary.
• Rosemary Butler: Rhett's beloved, much younger sister.
• Julian Butler: Second son of Elizabeth and Langston Butler. He obeys his father's every wish, unlike his older brother, Rhett.
• Isaiah Watling: Overseer of the Broughton Plantation. Father of Shadrach and Belle. Married to Sarah, who helps treat the slaves on the plantation. Deeply religious and straight-laced.
• Shadrach Watling: Big bully of a man. Son of Broughton's overseer, who takes advantage of his father's position with the slaves. Challenges Rhett to a duel after accusing Rhett of fathering his sister Belle's child. He is known to be a deadly shot - took the head off a whippoorwill at 60 feet.
• Belle Watling: Daughter of Isaiah and Sarah Watling. Rhett is falsely accused of fathering her child. They are life-long friends and become business partners of Belle's sporting club, the Chapeau Rouge.
• Colonel Jack Ravenel: Had been a respectable rice planter until his wife died when he turned into a dissipated drunkard who was banned from respectable gambling clubs in Charleston, but is forgiven much because he is a genius with horses. Has lost most of his former properties and assets. Taught Rhett about liquor, women and gambling.
• Andrew Ravenel: Son of "Uncle Jack" is himself a wild and reckless, hard drinking young man, and friend of Rhett's. Not safe around women, he admires Rosemary Butler, but is forced into marriage to plain Charlotte Fisher by Langston Butler.
• Julia Ravenel: Andrew's plain sister. Has a "sharp" tongue and enjoys using it with her friend Jamie Fisher.
• Henry Kershaw: Cousin of Rhett's. A drunken big bear of a young man, with a temper to match. One of the wild young men of Charleston.
• Edgar Allen Puryear: An eager acolyte to Henry Kershaw and a self-serving young man, who watches and gathers information to use for his betterment and against others. He enjoys others' weaknesses. His father, Cathecarte Puryear is tutor to Rhett and other young men. A social climber and toady.
• Cathecarte Puryear: Charleston's most recognized intellectual is tutor to Rhett Butler for three years, and to Andrew Ravenel, John Haynes and several other well-bred young gentlemen. A poet and writer of contentious essays, he lives off his deceased wife's fortune. His son is Edgar. Against Nullification and secession - which infuriates the Southerners
• Will: Trunk master of Broughton Plantation responsible for maintaining and operating the great and lesser trunk gates that enable the flooding of the rice fields. Second only to Hercules in the slave hierarchy. After his first wife died he jumped the broom with Mistletoe, a comely 15 year old who catches Shad Watling's eye.
• Thomas Bonneau: As a young man Thomas was freed by the white father who'd sired him and given 5 acres of river land. Thomas and Pearl Bonneau's son, Tunis, is Rhett's age. Thomas and Pearl immigrate to Canada where there is less prejudice against blacks.
• Tunis Bonneau: Thomas and Pearl Bonneau's son, Tunis, is Rhett's age and his hunting, fishing, boating companion of their early years. As a free black he is allowed to read, and is self-educated. He is a fisherman, and later a boat pilot for Haynes & Son. Tunis and Rhett stay close as they get older, helping each other out of trouble.
• Miss Polly: Run's a Charleston brothel.
• Grandmother Constance Fisher: The most respectable and richest widow in Charleston who is bringing up her grandchildren Charlotte and Jamie Fisher. She takes in Rosemary Butler for periods of her life growing up as well.
• Charlotte Fisher: A plain, sensible orphan brought up by her Grandmother Fisher. Sister to Jamie. Attracted to Andrew Ravenel.
• Jamie Fisher: Charlotte's brother. Verbal sparring partner of Julie Ravenel.
• Dr. Franklin Ward: Charleston physician married to Eulalie Robillard Ward. They had one son, Willy, and two daughters.
• Eulalie Robillard Ward: Wife of Dr. Wade and sister to Ellen Robillard who was quickly married off to Irish businessman Gerald O'Hara in Jonesboro, Georgia after flirting with her handsome Cousin Phillippe. Two reptilian daughters: Patience and Priscilla.
• Uncle Solomon: Broughton's houseman.
• Tecumseh: Rhett Butler's fine roan Morgan gelding.
• Gero - Geranimo: Langston Butler's thoroughbred racehorse.
• Chapultapec: Colonel Jack Ravenel's thoroughbred racehorse
• Tazewell Watling: Belle Watling's illegitimate son spent his childhood in the New Orleans Asylum for Orphan boys until Rhett rescued him and sent him to a Jesuit school and then to England, giving him false ideas of his parentage.
• Cassius: A black banjo player wanted by Andrew Ravenel - "Andrew's Orchestra" - proves the means by which Langston Butler can take his revenge against the Ravenels.
• Meg Ravenel: Daughter of John and Rosemary Butler Haynes. Cleo is her nursemaid.
• Frank Kennedy: A man of consequence with stores in Jonesboro, GA and Atlanta, and 1000 acres in prime Georgia cotton. Takes Rhett to a party at John Wilkes' Twelve Oaks when courting Suellen O'Hara, Scarlett's sister. Is Scarlett's second husband.
• John Wilkes: A true Southern Gentleman - cultured, refined, and literate. Father of Ashley, India and Honey Wilkes and owner of Twelve Oaks Plantation.
• Ashley Wilkes: An aristocrat like his father, Ashley is a widely read and traveled young man of culture and refinement. Engaged and then married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton. He is the object of Scarlett O'Hara's affections.
• Melanie Hamilton: Brought up with her brother by Aunt Pittipat from infancy. Wife of Ashley Wilkes, mother of Beau Wilkes. A gentle, kindly woman.
• Charles Hamilton: Melanie's beloved brother. Together they shared their tender childhood under Aunt Pittipat's wing. Scarlett O'Hara's first husband, though he dies six months later before their son Wade Hamilton is born.
• Sarah Jane Hamilton - Aunt Pittipat: A kindly, child-like woman who brought up her orphaned niece and nephew, Melanie and Charles.
• Uncle Peter: Aunt Pittipat's houseman.
• Gerald O'Hara: An Irishman transplanted to Savannah, and then Jonesboro, Georgia where he owns the cotton plantation Tara. Married to Ellen Robillard, sister of Dr. Ward's wife, Eulalie Robillard Ward. Had three daughters: Scarlett, Suellen and Careen.
• Scarlett O'Hara: The beautiful, flirtatious, determined and stubborn, oldest daughter of Gerald and Ellen O'Hara. She bewitches every male around, but is enamored with Ashley Wilkes who rebuffs her.
• Frederick Ward: Dr. Franklin Ward's stiff-necked, opinionated, bachelor brother.
• Minette: A Cyprian courtesan in Belle Watling's Chapeau Rouge.
• Lisa: Married for only one day before being widowed, she works briefly for Belle but her greed leads her astray. She later earns Rhett's permanent hatred.
• Joshua: Mr. John Haynes body servant from childhood.
• Archie Flytte: A penitentiary release whose life Rhett saved and who sticks to him like glue until Tunis' jailing.
• Pork: Master Gerald's valet - unwilling to do hard labor like everyone else on Tara.
• Josie Watling: A no-good, mean nephew of Isaiah Watling who claims to have ridden with outlaws Frank and Jesse James
• Bill Benteen: Helps Scarlett manage Tara and marries her sister, Suellen O'Hara.
• Louis Valentine Ravanel: Son of Rosemary and Andrew Ravenel, named after his great grandfather who was a pirate.
• Bonnie: Add a description of this character.
• Wade
• Edgar Puryear
• Suellen
• Cleo
• Ella
• Mac Beth
• Sam
• Melanie Wilkes

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Charleston
• Atlanta
• Georgia
• Jonesboro
• New Orleans
• Broughton
• London
• Low Country
• Paris
• India
• Beatrice Tarleton
• South Carolina
• England
• West Point
• Tennessee
• Klan
• New York
• Macon
• Philadelphia
• Beau
• United States Congress
• Cuba
• Texas
• Savannah
• Virginia
• Quadroon Ball
• Wilmington
• Canada
• Alabama
• Tunis Bormeau
• Nassau
• Shad Watling
• Clayton County
• St. Michael
• Missouri
• San Francisco
• Flint River
• White Point
• Ohio
• Cobb
• Shrewsbury
• Mississippi
• Rheft

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Errata edit see section history

Page 252 - "The horse was a coal black stallion, eleven hands high, of the breeding for which the Low Country had once been famous." In horse measurement, a hand is 4", thus at eleven hands tall, the coal black stallion would be a relatively small pony - only 44" tall at the withers. A horse is over 14.2 hands or 56" high, with a thoroughbred averaging 16 or 17 hands high or 64" tall at the withers. So this stallion should be at least 16 hands high.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Donald McCaig (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. John Bedford Lloyd (Reader) - reader of audio CD edition by Audio Renaissance

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.54

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Historical
• Books › Romance › Historical › United States
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary

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