Anne of Green Gables
|
|
Anne of Green Gables, a children's book by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, was first published in 1908. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book in a newspaper article about a couple who were 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, Canada. Montgomery used a photograph of Evelyn Nesbitt, clipped from an American magazine and pasted to the wall near her writing desk, as the model for Anne.
| Contents |
Plot summary
Anne Shirley is a red-haired, freckled orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly bachelor, Matthew Cuthbert, and his prim, spinster sister, Marilla, in the fictional town of Avonlea. Her wild imagination, incessant talking, and fiery temper 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, classmate rival and eventually love interest, Gilbert Blythe, and town gossip, Rachel Lynde.
Anne was 11 at the beginning of the novel and 16 at the end.
Montgomery continued the story of Anne Shirley in a series of sequels: (listed in order of Anne's age in the novel)
- Anne of Avonlea (1909): ages 16 - 18
- Anne of the Island (1915): ages 18 - 21
- Anne of Windy Poplars (Willows) (1936): ages 22 - 24
- Anne's House of Dreams (1917): ages 25 - 27
- Anne of Ingleside (1939): ages 34 - 40
- Rainbow Valley (1919): age 40
- Rilla of Ingleside (1921): ages 49-53
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 was adapted into a silent movie in 1919 and into an early "talkie" in 1934. The most popular film adaptation was made by Canadian film producer Kevin Sullivan in 1985, starring Megan Follows as Anne. Sullivan Films also created two more Anne films, Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987), and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. This last movie has nothing in common with the book series except the names of the characters.
Anne_Shirley.jpg
In addition there have been many television adaptations in various countries. An animated television series was produced in Japan, directed by Isao Takahata. It has been exported to neighbouring Asian countries. There is also an animated Kevin Sullivan Production made in Canada for mainly North American distribution.
- 1919: Anne of Green Gables - a silent film, 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. Worth noting is 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 3 hour+ television mini series, it was directed by Kevin Sullivan with Megan Follows as Anne. In 1987, Sullivan followed it up with Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel which was aired in the United States as Anne of Avonlea. A second sequel, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story followed in 2000, and was controversial with fans of Montgomery's books as it was an original story that contradicted many elements of the novels.
- 1989 to 1996: Road to Avonlea, produced by Kevin Sullivan, was a highly successful television series 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.
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 Elizebeth 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.
Donna Green illustrated a March 2003 book called Anne of Green Gables Journal, illustrating passages from various books in the series.
The novels are notable for placing the phrase "kindred spirits" into everyday circulation.
External link
- Template:Gutenberg.
- Anne of Green Gables (http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/People/rgs/anne-table.html) - online text from Project Gutenberg
- Official page on the Sullivan Anne trilogy (http://www.anne3.com/) On the world famous Canadian miniseries with a forum for fans
- Anne Shirley Home Page (http://www.geocities.com/ragdollz26) Resource page specifically concerning Anne Shirley and the series.
- An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page (http://www.tickledorange.com/LMM/) Resource for all things Anne and L.M. Montgomery
- Japanese Animated Series Official Site (http://www.nipponanimation.com/catalogue/023/index.html)
- Annetoon (http://www.annetoon.com/) The Sullivan Entertainment animated seriesde:Anne auf Green Gables