Stemming from a single line in a note-book: "Elderly couple apply to orphan asylum for a boy. By mistake
a girl is sent to them," arose a book that put Canadian literature
and Prince Edward Island on the map. Montgomery worked on writing
the story for eighteen months, and experienced rejection after rejection.
Anne of Green Gables was at last published by L. C. Page Company
of Boston in June of 1908.
It was instantly popular, appealing to a
larger audience than the young girls it was geared towards. Mark
Twain wrote to Montgomery saying in Anne she had created "the dearest,
and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice."1 A
sequel was almost immediately demanded. Montgomery continued to
write about Anne Shirley for the rest of her lifetime, and her career
is
irrevocably tied to her success with Anne.
Displaced, orphaned, alone, Anne weaves her
way into he hearts of not only the fictional characters she comes across
in Montgomery's plots, but also, and most importantly, the readers. Nearly
one hundred years later, her worldwide appeal is untouched.
The Anne of Green Gables series is composed of eight books (the
following contains spoilers, please do not read them if you haven't read
the books and don't want them spoiled):
1) Anne of Green Gables - Anne finds her home with Matthew and
Marilla Cuthbert at Green Gables
2) Anne of Avonlea - Anne teaches at the Avonlea school
3) Anne of the Island - Anne goes to college and becomes
engaged to Gilbert
4) Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows) - Anne
teaches and writes letters to Gilbert from Summerside, P.E.I.
5) Anne's House of Dreams - Anne and Gilbert move to their "house of dreams" and
she becomes a mother
6) Anne of Ingleside - Anne and Gilbert's family is complete
7) Rainbow Valley - The focus shifts to Anne's children as
they grow up
8) Rilla of Ingleside - Focuses on Anne's daughter
Rilla Blythe during WWI
We are having a chapter by chapter discussion of the Anne of Green Gables
series at the Avonlea Message Boards. Click below to join
in.
References:
1. Waterston, Elizabeth. "Lucy Maud
Montgomery: 1874 - 1942." L. M.
Montgomery: An Assessment. Ed. John Robert Sorfleet. Guelph:
Canadian Children's Press, 1976. 9-28.
Last Updated 05.10.08
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