Showing posts with label Novels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novels. Show all posts

January 19, 2023

The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript Digital Exhibition

The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript Digital Exhibition

Today, a digital exhibition launched called "The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript: L.M. Montgomery and the Creation of Anne" that features a digitized version of L.M. Montgomery's original handwritten manuscript for Anne of Green Gables. Fans of Anne of Green Gables can explore the text to see L.M. Montgomery's writing process and analyze how she developed the story.

Check out the exhibit at: annemanuscript.ca




Here's the press release for the exhibit by the Confederation Centre of the Arts:

January 19, 2023 – For the first time ever, L.M. Montgomery’s original manuscript of Anne of Green Gables is available to readers everywhere through a new digital exhibition.

The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript: L.M. Montgomery and the Creation of Anne officially launched online today. The digital exhibition will allow people to explore Montgomery’s original text, see what was written on the back of pages, and find out how famous moments were developed or revised. The interactive website includes never-before-seen material, such as Montgomery’s publishing contract for the novel.

“Visitors can pore over every pen stroke – there are bits of short story drafts and heavily scratched out passages that just beg for one to zoom in. We have also added hundreds of photo and video annotations to learn from,” says Dr. Emily Woster, an L.M. Montgomery scholar who curated the exhibition. “This is a celebration of Montgomery’s creative process, and we invite scholars and fans alike to explore the site and trace the origins of Anne.”

The high-quality digitization of the manuscript gives visitors a unique opportunity to learn about the author and Prince Edward Island, and reflect on Anne’s legacy in print, on screen, and on stage – including the nearly 60-year history of Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ at The Charlottetown Festival.

The digital exhibition is presented by Confederation Centre of the Arts, the University of Prince Edward Island’s Robertson Library and L.M. Montgomery Institute, and developed with funding from the Digital Museums Canada investment program. The Digital Museums Canada investment program helps build digital capacity in Canadian museums and heritage organizations and gives Canadians unique access to diverse stories and experiences. Digital Museums Canada is managed by the Canadian Museum of History, with the financial support of the Government of Canada.

The history of the novel dates back to the summer of 1905, when Montgomery began writing Anne’s story in the kitchen of her home in Cavendish. The classic novel is beloved the world over, inspiring millions of readers in over 40 languages. The original manuscript resides in the archives at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown, and only a lucky few have been able to see it or study it in person.

“This important project will vastly increase access to the manuscript, generating new understanding and appreciation of the novel’s beginnings and of its author,” says L.M. Montgomery Institute chair Dr. Philip Smith. “The digitization by the expert staff at UPEI’s Robertson Library will allow enthusiasts around the world to discover Montgomery’s creativity in interactive ways not previously available.”

The digital exhibition is available in English and French and can be viewed online at annemanuscript.ca.


Created January 19, 2023.

February 05, 2022

Mistress Pat

Mistress Pat by L.M. Montgomery, cover art by Marie Lawson, published in 1935 by McClelland and Stewart.

L.M. Montgomery’s Mistress Pat was first published in 1935 as the sequel to Pat of Silver Bush. The protagonist Pat Gardiner is now twenty years old and the mistress of her beloved home Silver Bush on Prince Edward Island. Pat chooses to remain at home instead of leaving for school, work, or marriage, and she’s deeply afraid of change.

Despite Pat's attempts to retain stable traditions at Silver Bush, which give her a sense of security, life brings many changes. Often these changes are difficult for Pat to face and cope with. For instance, her brother Sid marries a woman Pat despises, and the pair live at Silver Bush making Pat’s home life less pleasant. Her childhood friend Hilary Gordon, who has left for college and work, eventually stops writing to her. Over time, Pat begins to question her decisions.

Purchase and read the Pat of Silver Bush series:

Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery Mistress Pat by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 10, 2001. Re-posted online February 5, 2022. Last updated February 5, 2022.

February 02, 2022

The Golden Road

The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery, 1913 frontispiece art by George Gibbs.

The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery was published in 1913 as a sequel to The Story Girl. In this novel, Bev reminisces of his friends and of days gone by on a golden road of childhood.

In The Golden Road, Sara and the other children decide to publish their own magazine to entertain themselves, named Our Magazine. Each child contributes to a particular column, including fiction, fashion, personals, and etiquette. They have several adventures together, including visits to the town "witch," Peg Bowen. Along with sharing adventures, the children have many fights and squabbles. They experience mishaps during a visit from their aunt and attend two weddings. In addition, they learn the secret of the Awkward Man and witness Cecily's bravery to support the missionaries.

By the end of the novel, the characters have grown. Sara, Bev, and Felix must leave Carlisle, and things will never be the same. But Bev's memories remain strong. As Blair Stanley states, "Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it."

Purchase and read The Story Girl and The Golden Road:

The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery


Created May 29, 2002. Re-posted online February 2, 2022. Last updated February 2, 2022.

February 01, 2022

Emily's Quest

Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery, cover art from the Laurel Leaf 1983 edition

Emily's Quest (1927) is the final book in a trilogy about Emily Byrd Starr by L.M. Montgomery. The novel follows the stories Emily of New Moon and Emily Climbs. In Emily's Quest, Emily continues to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer, and she faces difficulties getting her stories published. She must cope with loneliness when her dear friends leave for school far from home. Emily's romance with her childhood friend Teddy Kent falters when he goes to art school, and Emily has several romantic entanglements.

Purchase and read the Emily of New Moon series:

Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery Emily of New Moon Series, Three Book Set by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 11, 2001. Re-posted online February 1, 2022. Last updated February 1, 2022.

Emily Climbs

Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery, frontispiece artwork from the 1928 George E. Harrap & Co. edition.

Emily Climbs is the second book in a trilogy of novels by L.M. Montgomery about a young writer named Emily Byrd Starr. The story was first published in 1925 and follows the novel Emily of New Moon. In Emily Climbs, Emily attends Shrewsbury High School under the conditions that she live with her difficult Aunt Ruth and that she stop writing fiction. Emily, who dreams of becoming a writer, perseveres despite these conditions by writing nonfiction portraits and by keeping a journal.

Emily Climbs is followed by the novel Emily's Quest.

Purchase and read the Emily of New Moon series:

Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery Emily of New Moon Series, Three Book Set by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 11, 2001. Re-posted online February 1, 2022. Last updated February 1, 2022.

Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon Frontispiece artwork by M.L. Kirk from the 1923 edition published by Frederick A. Stokes Company.

L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon (1923) is the first book in a trilogy about a young orphan named Emily Byrd Starr. After her father’s death, Emily is taken in by her relatives at New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island. Emily must cope with her grief, change, and her strict aunt Elizabeth. Like her creator, L.M. Montgomery, Emily has a passion for writing and seeing beauty in the natural world. She develops deep friendships with Teddy Kent, Ilse Burnley, and Perry Miller. The four friends are highly talented, hard-working individuals, each with their own dreams and goals.

Emily of New Moon is followed by the novels Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest.

Purchase and read the Emily of New Moon series:

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery Emily of New Moon Series, Three Book Set by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 11, 2001. Re-posted online February 1, 2022. Last updated February 1, 2022.

January 07, 2022

Bibliography of L.M. Montgomery

Book Covers, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

L.M. Montgomery was a Canadian author who wrote works that have been read by millions the world over. She was a prolific writer throughout her lifetime, penning over 20 books, including fictional novels, a volume of poetry, and short story collections. She also wrote a book of essays with collaborating authors. L.M. Montgomery achieved her greatest popular success in creating the character Anne Shirley of the Anne of Green Gables series.

L.M. Montgomery's bibliography of works published during her lifetime is listed below:

L.M. Montgomery's Publications
Date
Anne of Green Gables 1908
Anne of Avonlea1909
Kilmeny of the Orchard1910
The Story Girl1911
Chronicles of Avonlea1912
The Golden Road1913
Anne of the Island 1915
The Watchman and Other Poems   1916
Anne's House of Dreams 1917
Rainbow Valley 1919
Further Chronicles of Avonlea1920
Rilla of Ingleside 1921
Emily of New Moon1923
Emily Climbs1925
The Blue Castle1926
Emily's Quest1927
Magic for Marigold1929
A Tangled Web1931
Pat of Silver Bush1933
Courageous Women   
(Essays written with Marian Keith
and Mabel Burns McKinley)
1934
Mistress Pat1935
Anne of Windy Poplars1936
Jane of Lantern Hill1937
Anne of Ingleside1939


Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online January 7, 2022. Last updated January 7, 2022.

March 31, 2021

The Blue Castle

The Blue Castle, McClelland Stewart,  1926

L.M. Montgomery wrote The Blue Castle in 1926. It is her only novel fully set outside of her beloved Prince Edward Island and was her first attempt at an adult novel. Set in Muskoka, Ontario, The Blue Castle describes the life of twenty-nine year old Valancy Stirling. Valancy escapes her drab and sorrowful world with imaginary escapes to her Blue Castle in Spain where she is beautiful, charming, admired, and loved—everything her true life lacks.

When diagnosed with a heart ailment, Valancy's complaisance is shattered and she rebels, wanting to "live" for a short time before she dies. She finally breaks from her shell, saying and doing exactly as she pleases. L.M. Montgomery's story of Valancy's revolt against the Stirling clan, her new life, and growing love for the swarthy, unacceptable Barney Snaith is a modern fairy tale.

Purchase and read The Blue Castle:

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery


Created July 15, 1999. Re-posted online March 31, 2021. Last updated March 31, 2021.

March 30, 2021

A Tangled Web

A Tangled Web, McClelland and Stewart, 1989

A Tangled Web is a novel published by L.M. Montgomery in 1931. It is the story of two intermarried families, the Darks and the Penhallows, and is a satire of family interactions. The humor of the story begins immediately when Aunt Becky, the clan's matriarch, announces that one of her family members will receive the heirloom Dark jug.

Instead of naming the recipient at her gathering, Aunt Becky announces her plan to leave the jug with a trustee who knows her wishes and will name the recipient after a year. Aunt Becky names Dandy Dark as her trustee, and her conditions are puzzling. She tells her family that she may have already named the recipient of the jug in a letter given to Dandy, or she may have instructed that the winner be settled by lot, or lastly, she may give Dandy the power to choose the recipient himself. Aunt Becky warns her family, "in case I have chosen the last alternative, it behooves you all to watch your step from now on." The story has many offshoots as we observe what various characters do to win the Dark jug. Unbelievable at times in its exaggerations of human behavior, this story generates many laughs.

Purchase and read A Tangled Web:

A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 8, 2002. Re-posted online March 30, 2021. Last updated March 30, 2021.

March 16, 2021

The Story Girl

The Story Girl, 1934 book cover


Published in 1911, The Story Girl was L.M. Montgomery's favorite novel. In it, she captures the delight of youth and the joy of storytelling. The novel may have been so dear to her heart because she used it as a showcase for her own childhood experiences and to retell her personal family folklore and stories.

The Story Girl tells the tale of a group of children in Carlisle, Prince Edward Island. The narrator of the story, Beverly King, looks back with his adult eyes on a summer he and his brother Felix spent away from Toronto on P.E.I. with their relatives while their father was away on business. Bev and Felix spend time with their cousins Dan, Felicity, and Cecily King, as well as Sara Ray, Peter Craig, and the novel's namesake, Sara Stanley⁠—the "Story Girl."

The children's minor adventures are interwoven with Sara's fearsome, mythological, humorous, and human tales that mesmerize her young audience. She is the main character, though, unlike Montgomery's other protagonists, she does not have a driving plot line. It is the narrator Bev, who directs our attention to Sara's talents and charms throughout the story.

The Story Girl is followed by its sequel The Golden Road.

Purchase and read The Story Girl and The Golden Road:

The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery


Created May 27, 2002. Re-posted online March 16, 2021. Last updated March 16, 2021.

March 14, 2021

Magic for Marigold

Magic for Marigold, Stokes book cover, 1929

Magic for Marigold was published by L.M. Montgomery in 1929. It is the story of young Marigold Lesley and is set on Prince Edward Island. The tale begins as the Lesley family gathers to celebrate Old Grandmother's birthday and to name the newest addition to the Lesley clan: Lorraine Lesley's baby. After a series of complications and clan machinations, the baby is finally given the name Marigold after four months. The story follows Marigold's imaginative adventures as she grows up.


Purchase and read Magic for Marigold:

Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 21, 2002. Re-posted online March 14, 2021. Last updated March 14, 2021.

March 12, 2021

Kilmeny of the Orchard

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery, L.C. Page, 1910

Kilmeny of the Orchard is a novel by L.M. Montgomery that was first published in 1910. The story begins when Larry West writes a letter to his friend Eric Marshall, asking him to take his teaching position in Lindsay, Prince Edward Island. Eric is a rich and practical man with his future set out perfectly, and he expects to simply fulfill his duty to his friend and then go on with his life as planned. All this changes when he comes across a beautiful girl named Kilmeny Gordon playing haunting music on a violin in an orchard. In this brief encounter, Kilmeny imprints herself in Eric's mind. Strangely though, Kilmeny looks upon Eric in terror.

Purchase and read Kilmeny of the Orchard:

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery


Created March 4, 2002. Re-posted online March 12, 2021. Last updated March 12, 2021.