Anne of Green Gables
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.
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 charming, scenic 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.
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.
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Sign marking trail through Balsam Hollow. |
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.
Click here to view a panoramic image of the farmhouse. Balsam Hollow and the forest that inspired the Haunted Woods described in the book are also located in the vicinity.
[Gables Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved on July 24, 2006] 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
Atlantic Canada.
The book had been adapted into numerous film versions. In addition there have been many television adaptations in various countries.
Television
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Anne as she appeared in the 1979 Japanese anime adaption of Anne of Green Gables. |
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
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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.
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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.
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1956:
Anne of Green Gables - made for television, this version directed by
Don Harron starred
Toby Tarnow as Anne.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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2000:
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story 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.
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Free ebook of Anne of Green Gables at
Project Gutenberg.
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Official page on the Sullivan Anne trilogy On the world famous Canadian miniseries with a
message board for fans
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Japanese Animated Series Official Site*
An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page Resource for all things Anne and L.M. Montgomery
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Annetoon The Sullivan Entertainment animated series
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An Anne of Green Gables Project An Anne of Green Gables Project
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UPEI LMM Institute University of Prince Edward Island L. M. Montgomery Institute
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AvonleaTreasures An
Anne of Green Gables fansite
