Anne of Green Gables
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Anne of Green Gables is a children's book written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery; it was first published in 1908. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book in a newspaper article describing a couple that was mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy, yet decided to keep her. Montgomery also drew upon her own childhood experiences in rural Prince Edward Island. Montgomery used a photograph of Evelyn Nesbit, clipped from an American magazine and pasted to the wall near her writing desk, as the model for Anne Shirley, the book's protagonist.
Plot summary
Anne Shirley is a skinny, red-haired, freckled orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with shy, elderly bachelor, Matthew Cuthbert, and his prim spinster sister, Marilla Cuthbert. They live together in the fictional town of Avonlea, situated on the picturesque north shore of Canada's Prince Edward Island, and had submitted a request to adopt a young boy who could work on the family farm.Her wild imagination, incessant chatter, fiery temper, and rambunctious spirit ensure that she is the centre of a series of entertaining adventures. As she matures, nurtured by the love and discipline of Marilla and Matthew, she develops into an intelligent and independent young woman who harnesses her imagination constructively. Other important characters include her best friend, Diana Barry, class rival and eventual love interest, Gilbert Blythe, and town gossip, Mrs. Rachel Lynde. Anne is 11 at the novel's beginning and 16 at its end.
Sequels
Montgomery continued the story of Anne Shirley in a series of sequels. They are listed in the order of Anne's age in each novel.
| # | Book | Date published | Anne Shirley's age |
| 1 | Anne of Green Gables | 1908 | 11 — 16 |
| 2 | Anne of Avonlea | 1909 | 16 — 18 |
| 3 | Anne of the Island | 1915 | 18 — 21 |
| 4 | Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows) | 1936 | 22 — 25 |
| 5 | Anne's House of Dreams | 1917 | 25 — 28 |
| 6 | Anne of Ingleside | 1939 | 34 — 40 |
| 7 | Rainbow Valley | 1919 | 41 |
| 8 | Rilla of Ingleside | 1920 | 49 — 54 |
| # | Book | Date published | Anne Shirley's age |
| — | The Chronicles of Avonlea | 1912 | — |
| — | The Further Chronicles of Avonlea | 1920 | — |
Tourism
Many tourist attractions on Prince Edward Island have been developed based on Anne. The Green Gables farmhouse which Montgomery drew her inspiration from, is located in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Each summer the musical Anne of Green Gables is performed at the Charlottetown Festival.The popularity of Anne has extended into many countries and Anne of Green Gables has been translated into seventeen languages. Tourism from Anne fans is an extremely important part of the Island economy. The novels have a huge national following in Japan, and Anne is an icon there.
Bala's Museum With Memories Of Lucy Maud Montgomery located in Bala, Ontario, Canada is dedicated to Montgomery information and heritage, located in the former home of Fanny Pike where Montgomery and her family stayed for a vacation in 1922. She based her novel The Blue Castle on the region, changing the town's name to Deerwood, the only book she wrote not to be set in Prince Edward Island.
Adaptations
The book had been adapted into numerous film versions. In addition there have been many television adaptations in various countries.Television
An animated television series was produced in Japan in 1979 by Nippon Animation (titled Akage no Anne, or Red-Haired Anne), directed by Isao Takahata and featuring input from future Academy Award-winner Hayao Miyazaki (though he left the production and Nippon Animation after the first 15 episodes). It has been exported to neighbouring Asian countries and also to Europe (Anna dai capelli rossi in Italian, Anne la maison aux pignons verts in French, Anne mit den roten Haaren in German). Like the novels, the animated version of Anne of Green Gables is much beloved in Japan to this day.
There is also an animated Kevin Sullivan Production made in Canada for mainly North American distribution, which airs on PBS in Canada and the US in their PBS Kids block.
A live action television show was produced by Kevin Sullivan from 1989 to 1996. Called Road to Avonlea, it was highly successful, based upon characters and episodes from several of Montgomery's books, for example The Story Girl, The Golden Road, and the Anne of Green Gables series. Anne herself did not appear in the TV series, but Gílbert Blythe, Marilla Cuthbert and other characters from the Anne books are included.
Film
- 1919: Anne of Green Gables - a silent film adapted to the screen by Frances Marion, it was directed by William Desmond Taylor and starred Mary Miles Minter as Anne.
- 1934: Anne of Green Gables - directed by George Nichols Jr., this Black & White version was made with RCA Victor sound and starred Dawn O'Day as Anne. It is worth noting that after filming, O'Day changed her stage name to Anne Shirley.
- 1956: Anne of Green Gables - made for television, this version directed by Don Harron starred Toby Tarnow as Anne.
- 1972: Anne of Green Gables - a made for television 5-part mini-series, this British version was directed by Joan Craft with Kim Braden in the role of Anne.
- 1985: Anne of Green Gables - a highly acclaimed made for television 8 hour television mini series, it was directed by Kevin Sullivan with Megan Follows as Anne.
- *1987: Anne of Avonlea, a sequel to the 1985 film which was subsequently retitled Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (in the US) on video.
- 2000: was an original film that was not based upon the novels.
Stage
The Confederation Centre of the Arts' annual "Charlottetown Festival" headlines Canada's longest-running mainstage musical production Anne of Green Gables - The Musical. This show having run every summer since the Centre opened in 1964 has played to over 2 million viewers. Anne of Green Gables - The Musical was composed by Canadian theatrical legends Don Harron and Norman Campbell, with lyrics by Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore. The production has played to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and has also toured across Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan and has played to numerous distinguished figures in audiences every season.A West End musical has also been based on the story adapted by Moore and Harron.
References
- [Free eBook: Anne of Green Gables] at Project Gutenberg.
- [Official page on the Sullivan Anne trilogy] On the world famous Canadian miniseries with a [message board] for fans
- [Japanese Animated Series Official Site]
- [An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page] Resource for all things Anne and L.M. Montgomery
External links
- [Annetoon] The Sullivan Entertainment animated series
- [An Anne of Green Gables Project] An Anne of Green Gables Project
- [UPEI LMM Institute] University of Prince Edward Island L. M. Montgomery Institute
- [AvonleaTreasures] An Anne of Green Gables fansite
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