Five Facts About L.M. Montgomery

It’s L.M. Montgomery’s birthday today. She was born on 147 years ago on November 30, 1874. To celebrate the anniversary of Montgomery’s birth, here are five facts about her:

1. Born Lucy Maud Montgomery, she preferred her middle name “Maud” over her first name.
   
   
2. L.M. Montgomery contracted influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic and was seriously ill with the disease.
   
   
3. During her childhood, L.M. Montgomery had two imaginary friends, Katie Maurice and Lucy Gray, who helped her cope with her loneliness and solitude.
   
   
4. L.M. Montgomery experienced a deep emotional and spiritual connection in nature, which she described as “the flash.”
   
   
5. In 1935, King George V appointed L.M. Montgomery as an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This British order of chivalry honored her contributions to literature.
   
   

Image credit:
Photograph of L.M. Montgomery, ca. 1935. Library and Archives Canada, Public Domain.

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Created November 30, 2021.
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L.M. Montgomery and Gender

L.M. Montgomery and Gender was published in November 2021 by McGill-Queen’s University Press. This book of scholarship examines how L.M. Montgomery challenged gender constructions and gender roles in her writing. It was edited by Laura M. Robinson and E. Holly Pike. The volume contains contributions by Kazuko Sakuma, Lesley D. Clement, Ashley N. Reese, Bonnie J. Tulloch, Mavis Reimer, Rebecca J. Thompson, E. Holly Pike, Wanda Campbell, Vappu Kannas, Catherine Clark, Carole Gerson, Christina Hitchcock, Kiera Ball, Heather Ladd, Erin Spring, Jane Urquhart, Tara K. Parmiter, and Elizabeth Rollins Epperly.

Here is the description of the volume from McGill-Queen’s University Press:

The celebrated author of Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon receives much-deserved additional consideration in L.M. Montgomery and Gender. Nineteen contributors take a variety of critical and theoretical positions, from historical analyses of the White Feather campaign and discussions of adoption to medical discourses of death and disease, explorations of Montgomery’s use of humour, and the author’s rewriting of masculinist traditions.

The essays span Montgomery’s writing, exploring her famous Anne and Emily books as well as her short fiction, her comic journal composed with her friend Nora Lefurgey, and less-studied novels such as Magic for Marigold and The Blue Castle. Dividing the chapters into five sections - on masculinities and femininities, domestic space, humour, intertexts, and being in time - L.M. Montgomery and Gender addresses the degree to which Montgomery’s work engages and exposes, reflects and challenges the gender roles around her, underscoring how her writing has shaped future representations of gender.

Of interest to historians, feminists, gender scholars, scholars of literature, and Montgomery enthusiasts, this wide-ranging collection builds on the depth of current scholarship in its approach to the complexity of gender in the works of one of Canada’s best-loved authors.

Review

"A book-length study on this author's rich and complex relationship with gender norms and expectations, and her myriad depictions of gender, is overdue. Because modern understanding of gender identity and contemporary awareness of gender issues are increasingly prominent in cultural discussions, this book, with its many perspectives on gender in Montgomery's work, is extraordinarily timely." Caroline Jones, Austin Community College

The book includes the following content and essays:

INTRODUCTION

“You Don’t Want Me Because I’m Not a Boy”: L.M. Montgomery and Gender by E. Holly Pike and Laura M. Robinson

MASCULINITIES AND FEMININITIES

1. The White Feather: Gender and War in L.M. Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside by Kazuko Sakuma
2. From “Uncanny Beauty” to “Uncanny Disease”: Destabilizing Gender through the Deaths of Ruby Gillis and Walter Blythe and the Life of Anne Shirley by Lesley D. Clement
3. Barney of the Island: Nature and Gender in Montgomery’s The Blue Castle by Ashley N. Reese

DOMESTIC SPACE

4. The Robinsonade versus the Annescapade: Exploring the “Adventure” in Anne of Green Gables by Bonnie J. Tulloch
5. Soliciting Home: The Cultural Function of Orphans in Early Twentieth-Century Canada by Mavis Reimer
6. “That House Belongs to Me”: The Appropriation of Patriarchal Space in L.M. Montgomery’s Emily Trilogy by Rebecca J. Thompson

HUMOUR

7. Cross-Dressing: Twins, Language, and Gender in L.M. Montgomery’s Short Fiction by E. Holly Pike
8. “I’m Noted for That”: Comic Subversion and Gender in L.M. Montgomery’s “The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s” and “Aunt Philippa and the Men” by Wanda Campbell
9. “Nora and I Got Through the Evening”: Gender Roles and Romance in the Diary of L.M. Montgomery and Nora Lefurgey by Vappu Kannas

INTERTEXTS

10. The Blue Castle: Sex and the Revisionist Fairy Tale by Catherine Clark
11. L.M. Montgomery, E. Pauline Johnson, and the Figure of the “Half-Breed Girl” by Carole Gerson
12. Orgies of Lovemaking: L.M. Montgomery’s Feminine Version of the Augustinian Community by Christina Hitchcock and Kiera Ball
13. Feminizing Thomson’s The Seasons: Identity, Gender, and Seasonal Aesthetics in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables by Heather Ladd and Erin Spring

BEING IN TIME

14. Her Reader by Jane Urquhart
15. Like a Childless Mother: L.M. Montgomery and the Anguish of Mother’s Loss by Tara K. Parmiter
16. Magic for Marigold: Engendering Questions about What Lasts by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly


Image credit:
Book cover of L.M. Montgomery and Gender from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

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Created November 25, 2021. Last updated June 11, 2024.
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The New York Times Book Review Harshly Reviewed Anne of Green Gables in 1908

In 1908, after Anne of Green Gables was published, the novel was reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. The book was harshly reviewed by an anonymous reviewer who said the character Anne Shirley, “greatly marred a story that had in it quaint and charming possibilities.”

Personally, one of the first words I think of in describing Anne Shirley is "charming." It's a bit sad that the reviewer missed out on Anne's charms, don't you think?

In 1924, bylines were required for the The New York Times Book Review, and reviewers had less freedom to be callous because they were no longer anonymous. Read more about the unsympathetic reviews written anonymously for The New York Times Book Review prior to 1924 in "When the Book Review Went Really Harsh" by Tina Jordan published in The New York Times on August 27, 2021.

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Created September 12, 2021.
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Dress Like Anne Shirley

Have you ever wanted to dress like Anne Shirley?

I have, and sometimes do. I love to search out clothes reminiscent of what Anne might wear today—clothing that is delicate, feminine, and pretty. Here are a few blouses that are currently available that reminded me of Anne.

Created September 1, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables Included on Time Magazine's List of The 100 Best YA Books of All Time

In August 2021, Time Magazine, with the help of a panel of leading YA authors, released an updated list of The 100 Best YA Books of All Time. The list includes classic and modern novels that help young people understand themselves and feel less alone as they form views of themselves and the world.

Among the great books on the list is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Megan McCluskey writes about Anne of Green Gables saying, "Set in the idyllic fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada, Anne of Green Gables is both a love letter to Montgomery’s home province and a classic coming-of-age story that captures the joys and sorrows of growing up in equal measure."

Along with Anne of Green Gables, the list includes A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and as well as many other stories for young adult (and older) readers to enjoy.

Website:
The 100 Best YA Books of All Time by Time Magazine

Image Credit:
Image of Anne of Green Gables from The 100 Best YA Books of All Time webpage by Time Magazine.

Reference:
The 100 Best YA Books of All Time. (2021, August 11). Time Magazine. Retrieved from: https://time.com/collection/100-best-ya-books/.

Created August 15, 2021. Last updated October 8, 2024.
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Anne's School Days (An Anne Chapter Book)

Anne's School Days by Kallie George is the third book in the Anne Chapter Book series, which was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. The children's book series features charming illustrations by Abigail Halpin. In Anne's School Days, Kallie George retells the story of Anne Shirley's experiences at her new school in Avonlea and how she meets her rival Gilbert Blythe. Geared toward early readers, the 72-page long picture book was published by Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House in July 2021.

Here is the description of the book from Penguin Random House:

The third book in an early-reader series inspired by Anne of Green Gables, starring the spirited Anne Shirley as she navigates her first days of school and the incorrigible Gilbert Blythe.

Anne loves autumn in Avonlea, and she’s been enjoying her first three weeks of school. It helps that she walks to school with and sits next to her kindred spirit, Diana Barry. However, one day, Gilbert Blythe joins the class. According to Diana, he’s very handsome, and smart too. However, Gilbert immediately gets on Anne’s nerves. When he pulls on Anne’s braid and calls her “Carrots” because of her red hair, enough is enough. How can Anne enjoy school when Gilbert is ruining everything? Anne vows never to talk to Gilbert again, and even stops going to school for a time when her teacher forces Anne to sit next to her rival. But later, when Anne has an accident on the pond and her wooden plank sinks, who should come to her rescue but her nemesis, Gilbert Blythe?

Lovingly adapted by Kallie George with beautiful nostalgic illustrations by Abigail Halpin, this series is perfect for fans of Anne, new and old.

ISBN-13: 978-0735267206

Image credit:
Book cover of Anne's School Days.

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Created July 17, 2021. Last updated November 19, 2024.
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Marilla Before Anne

Marilla Before Anne by Louise Michalos was published in May 2021 by Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press. This work of historical fiction extends the world of Anne of Green Gables to tell the story of Marilla Cuthbert's early life. What was Marilla like before Anne Shirley entered the picture?

Louise Michalos set out to answer this question in her own way. Michalos was born in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia and raised in Halifax. Her mother was raised in a lighthouse, and her father, like L.M. Montgomery, was raised in a house that served as the local post office. She has knowledge and awareness of the community ties in the Maritimes, and wanted to explore Marilla's backstory with an authentic voice.

Here is the description of the book from Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press:

A heart-rending work of historical fiction telling the story of Marilla Cuthbert, long before Anne came to Green Gables farm.

Marilla Cuthbert was fifty-two years old when the plucky red-headed Anne Shirley came to live with her and her brother, Matthew, at Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island. A seemingly cold and dour spinster, her heart eventually softens to the loveable orphan girl. But for over a century readers have wondered, who was Marilla before Anne?

In Louise Michalos’s remarkable debut novel, readers are introduced to a spirited eighteen-year-old Marilla Cuthbert—a girl not unlike Anne herself—who is desperately in love, and whose whole life is spread before her. But when a moment of defiance brings life-changing consequences, a new Marilla begins to take shape, one who would learn to bear tragedy like a birthright, and loss as an inevitability, and who would hold steadfast to the secrets that could shatter the lives of everyone around her.

Weaving its way from Marilla’s early life in Avonlea to her coming-of-age in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and back, Marilla Before Anne is the story readers of Anne of Green Gables have longed for. Told with a refreshingly original East Coast voice, this exquisite, heartbreaking work of historical fiction takes readers on a journey back in time, to the Green Gables where Marilla Cuthbert lived, loved, and learned, long before Anne.

Reviews

"Beloved characters live in our minds. For those who think they know Marilla Cuthbert, Louise Michalos creates a heart-rending and imaginative fantasy of who our Marilla might have been."
—Lesley Crewe, author of The Spoon Stealer

"Taking us back to Marilla's passionate youth, this book is part old-style romance, part history, with complicated heroes, heroines, and villains. It plays fast and loose with the Marilla and Matthew who may already live inside readers' heads―those willing to take that leap are in for a galloping ride."
—Liz Rosenberg, author of House of Dreams: A Biography of L. M. Montgomery

Image credit:
Book cover of Marilla Before Anne.

Reference:
Author spotlight: Louise Michalos. Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia. Retrieved from: https://writers.ns.ca/author-spotlights/author-spotlight-louise-michalos/.

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Created June 10, 2021. Last updated October 23, 2024.
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Anne’s Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka, Japanese Translator of Anne of Green Gables

Anne’s Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka, Japanese Translator of Anne of Green Gables is a biography of the celebrated writer who translated Anne of Green Gables to Japanese for the first time. Eri Muraoka wrote this biography of her grandmother, entitled An no Yurikago Muraoka Hanako no Shogai, which was published in Japanese in 2008. In 2014, the biography became the subject of a popular six-month television series on NHK, Japan's public television station. In 2021, Hanako Muraoka's biography was translated to English by Cathy Hirano and published as Anne's Cradle.

The biography tells the story of Hanako Muraoka's compelling life and work, and it describes the dangers she faced in bringing L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables to Japanese readers.

Here is the description of the book from Nimbus Publishing:

The bestselling biography of renowned Japanese translator of Anne of Green Gables is available in English for the first time. The name Hanako Muraoka is revered in Japan. Her Japanese translation of L. M. Montgomery’s beloved children’s classic Anne of Green Gables, Akage no An (Redhaired Anne) was the catalyst for the book’s massive and enduring popularity in Japan. A book that has since spawned countless interpretations, from manga to a long-running television series, and has remained on Japanese curriculum for half a century. For the first time, the bestselling biography of Hanako Muraoka written by her granddaughter, Eri Muraoka, and translated by the award-winning Cathy Hirano (The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up), is available in English.

Born into an impoverished family of tea merchants in rural Japan at the end of the nineteenth century, Hanako Muraoka’s fortunes change dramatically when she is offered a place at an illustrious girls’ school in Tokyo founded by the Methodist Church of Canada. Nurtured by the Canadian missionaries who teach her, she falls in love with English poetry and literature. This love of the written word develops into a passion for writing and translating children’s literature that sustains Hanako through devastating personal tragedies and the tumult of the twentieth century.

In 1941, after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Hanako abruptly resigns from her role of reading children’s news over the radio — for which she is known and loved throughout Japan as “Radio Auntie”. Branded as “enemies”, the peace-loving missionaries who nurtured Hanako in her youth and with whom she later worked have been forced to leave the country. But Hanako finds solace in a gift received from a Canadian friend: a copy of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

Although it is a book from an “enemy nation”, the story of Anne Shirley brings back vivid memories of precious friends in distant lands, giving Hanako courage and hope for the future. Amidst the wail of air-raid sirens, she begins translating her copy into Japanese in 1943, fully aware that she risks imprisonment and even death if caught. Although she completes the majority of the work by the end of the war, it is only much later that a publisher decides to take a chance on a Canadian author previously unknown in Japan, unwittingly launching a cross-cultural literary legacy that continues to this day.

Anne’s Cradle tells the complex and captivating story of a woman who risked her freedom and devoted her life to bringing quality children’s literature to her people during a period of tumultuous change in Japan. Through the gift of Hanako Muraoka’s translations, generations of Japanese readers have fallen in love with a plucky redhead from Prince Edward Island.

ISBN-13: 9781771089241

Image credit:
Book cover of Anne’s Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka, Japanese Translator of Anne of Green Gables.

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Created June 8, 2021. Last updated November 18, 2024.
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