Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery, 1908
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Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley, an orphan, is sent by mistake to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who wanted a boy to help on their farm at Green Gables in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. Marilla first means to send her back, then keeps her. The book follows Anne through school, her friendship with Diana Barry, her rivalry with Gilbert Blythe and the scrapes her imagination and temper get her into, as she becomes part of the community and the first real home she has known.
Where it happens
- Cavendish, Prince Edward Island Real community that Montgomery drew on for the fictional Avonlea.1
- New London, Prince Edward Island Real community behind Bolingbroke, where Anne's story begins.1
- Charlottetown Home of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, which preserves Montgomery's manuscript.1
- Boston City of L. C. Page and Company, the first publisher.1
Through time
- 1908L. C. Page of Boston publishes the novel on 13 June.1
- 1926Montgomery's The Blue Castle appears, her one setting outside Atlantic Canada.1
- 1975Canada Post issues an 8 cent stamp for Montgomery and the novel.1
- 1996The New York Times reconsiders its harsh 1908 review.1
- 2020A Scottish Gaelic translation, Anna Ruadh, is released.1
Who is in it, and behind it
L. M. Montgomery author
Canadian author who published the novel in 1908 and wrote numerous sequels.12
Anne Shirley character
Imaginative orphan who insists her name be spelled with an e.1
Matthew Cuthbert character
Quiet farmer who encourages Marilla to keep Anne.1
Marilla Cuthbert character
Stern sister who at first says Anne must go back to the orphanage.1
Diana Barry character
Girl next door and Anne's best friend.1
Gilbert Blythe character
Schoolmate whom Montgomery based in part on people she knew.1
L. C. Page & Co. printer
Boston firm that first published the book on 13 June 1908.1
What it is about
In its own words
I shall call it—let me see—the Lake of Shining Waters. Yes, that is the right name for it
I called it Snow Queen because it was so white. Of course, it won’t always be in blossom, but one can imagine that it is, can’t one
do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?” “A—a what kind of a friend?” “A bosom friend—an intimate friend, you know—a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul
I guess Gilbert Blythe will be in school today,” said Diana. “He’s been visiting his cousins over in New Brunswick all summer and he only came home Saturday night
God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world,’ ” whispered Anne softly
The shape of the book
38 chapters, 102,291 words. Point at a bar.
How it came to be here
L. M. Montgomery drew on notes she had made as a girl about an elderly pair mistakenly sent an orphan, and on her own childhood in rural Prince Edward Island. L. C. Page and Company of Boston first published it on 13 June 1908, and it sold over 19,000 copies in five months. It has since sold more than 50 million copies and been translated into at least 36 languages. The New York Times review of 1908 was harsh, but the paper reconsidered in 1996. Montgomery's manuscript is held in Charlottetown.
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Sources
Text: PG 45. CC0 (Standard Ebooks).