[Victoria]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Sorry Canadian cousins, but I have to be a dissenting voice.

The book is well enough written, but it is a fairy tale that Montgomery has written for herself because she had a wretched childhood, for which she certainly has my sympathy.

I found the book quite unbelievable. Anne was a child who for 11 years had been unloved and unwanted. She had quite obviously been ill-treated, and been a drudge. She received no education until she was put into the orphanage.

Yet this child was an optimistic chatterbox, prepared to express her feelings of despair when she thought she once again wasn’t wanted. Able to socialise with other children and be popular with them. Really?

I can accept that she could be extremely intelligent, pick up her lessons very quickly and learn how to interact with others. But all that confidence and social skill from the moment we meet her? I doubt it more than somewhat.

A Canadian cousin just has to weigh in here. I mostly agree with you Bookpossum , but I don’t think it’s quite as black and white as that. It’s true that Montgomery’s diaries contain a lot of heartache. But there were bright spots in her life too, and much of the Anne story was drawn from those happier memories and places.

Where I differ is on whether Anne could thrive in spite of her background. I think she’s idealized, but believable, (though outmoded now.) I worked with abused and neglected children for many years, and I learned that the world is full of resilient people. Research has shown the tremendous power that just one caring adult can make in a child’s life. Having a special talent, or an outside interest, or being born with a resilient temperament are also protective factors that can enable children to thrive.

(Edit I just wanted to add & acknowledge that of course, many children with Anne’s background of neglect and abuse don’t thrive, and do have lasting struggles with the issues you’ve described. But our history doesn’t have to be our destiny.)

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I don't believe Anne is meant to be realistic as read by an adult perspective or with a modern understanding of abuse/mental trauma/PTSD/etc. She's meant to be idealistic yet relatable and an aspirational role model for young children. She's a heroine, yet she's not sinless or flawless. She has her trials to overcome as she matures to be a young adult, but she's optimistic and resilient. The cozy, heart-warming aspect is why it has endured over 100 years, countless adaptations have been made, and those who read it in childhood can re-read it as an adult with the same happy feelings and nostalgia.

I see her this way too Bookworm_Girl. The proof is in the pudding, since the Anne has been a very important role model and inspired generations of children; at least girls. I’m not sure about boys?

Originally Posted by issybird

I agree with that and I’m going to express the heretical to our Canadians belief that Anne has more in common with the New England of the US of its times than it does with Canada as a whole. The late nineteenth century hardscrabble economies of the North Atlantic I suspect transcended nationality, especially as the Maritimes were separated from the rest of Anglo Canada by the huge swath of Quebec. Much closer geographically, there also was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing even as evidenced in the text, with Islanders traveling to the US and “rich Americans” vacationing on the Island.

That’s just wrong issybird! Sorry, I couldn’t resist that That’s not heretical to me. One side of my family came to the bottom tip of Nova Scotia from New England six generations ago, and the other side from Staten Island, NY, five generations ago. My siblings and I are the first to venture 300 km north into the province. That’s as much of Canada as we’ve ever penetrated. Most traffic was back and forth to “the States”, via the ferry. Many returned permanently; most went for work at one time or another. Even my grandparents’ produce was shipped to the States for sale. That was the norm when I grew up; Boston was the main city, not Halifax. Many people had little connection to the rest of the province, and nothing with the rest of Canada.