Top 10 greatest insults in literature

Gone With The Wind author Margaret Mitchell has been crowned the queen of the literary put-down in a new poll.

The writer, whose novel inspired the classic film starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, topped a poll which included famous wit Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, and William Shakespeare.

The line in question — Rhett Butler’s “My dear, I don’t give a damn” — which was altered in the film to the more famous “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, picked up the most votes.