The Time of the Clover Blossom by L.M. Montgomery

In June 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "The Time of the Clover Blossom" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

THE TIME OF THE CLOVER BLOSSOM
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

The wind from the slopes of pineland

Drifts over the wide green fields

To mingle its breath with the incense

That rose-red clover yields;

The clouds on the far horizon

Are white in the peaceful blue,

And the brooks are tenderly crooning

The sun-warm valleys through.

All over the leagues of grasses

The shadows and ripples go,

And a bluebird is blithely singing

In the pasture down below;

For he knows that near him is cradled

His mate in her tiny nest,

And the time of the clover blossom

Is the sweetest and the best.

Song on the hills and uplands,

Song in the meadows fair,

Song in the beautiful valleys,

Song on the forest air!

And a gladness deep and lasting

That broods on the starry sod—

In the time of the clover blossom,

The world is near to God.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, June). The Time of the Clover Blossom. The Farm Journal. 28(6): 223. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-06_28_6/page/222/mode/2up

Created November 4, 2022.
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Buttercups by L.M. Montgomery

In May 1910, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Buttercups" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

BUTTERCUPS
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

Like showers of gold-dust on the marsh,

Or an inverted sky,

The buttercups are dancing now

Where silver brooks run by.

Bright, bright,

As fallen flakes of light,

They nod

In time to every breeze

That chases shadows swiftly lost

Amid those grassy seas.

See what a golden frenzy flies

Through the light-hearted flowers!

In mimic fear they flutter now,

Each fairy blossom cowers.

Then up, then up,

Each shakes its yellow cup

And nods

In careless grace once more—

A very flood of sunshine seems

Across the marsh to pour.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1910, May). Buttercups. The Farm Journal. 34(5): 311. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1910-05_34_5/page/310/mode/2up

Created November 3, 2022.
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Nutting Song by L.M. Montgomery

In November 1906, L.M. Montgomery published the poem/song lyrics "Nutting Song" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

NUTTING SONG

Light, light, rings our laughter

O’er valley and hill,

To chime with the musical

Call of the rill.

The blue skies above

With their sunshine o'erflow,

And over the meadows

Beguiling winds blow—

Heigh-ho for the nutting.

Through the boughs of the chestnuts

The mellow lights fall,

And the song of the nutters

Rings clear over all.

The maples are flame

On the crest of the hill,

And amethyst hazes

The far valleys fill

In the time of the nutting.

The mornings are frosty,

The noons are a-gleam,

The blue air is quivering

Over the stream.

The wood ways are drifted

With billows of gold,

And the world sings a song

That can never grow old

In the time of the nutting.

Oh, ours is the laughter,

The frolic and mirth,

The heyday of autumn,

The bounty of earth.

The music that echoes

The whole world along

Is borne in our hearts

And enchained in our song

In the time of the nutting.

L. M. MONTGOMERY.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1906, November). Nutting Song. The Farm Journal. 30(11): 374. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1906-11_30_11/page/374/mode/2up

Created November 2, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

November Dusk by L.M. Montgomery

In November 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "November Dusk" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

NOVEMBER DUSK

A weird and dreamy stillness falls upon
The purple, breathless earth, the wind-less woods,
The wimpling rims of valley solitudes,
The wide, gray stubble-fields and fallows wan—
A quiet hush, as if, her heyday gone,
Tired Nature folded weary hands for rest
Across the faded vesture of her breast,
Knowing her wintry slumbers hasten on.
Far and away beyond the ocean’s rim
The dull-red sunset fades into the gray
Of sombre, wind-rent clouds that marshall grim
Around the closing portals of the day,
While from the margin of the tawny shore
Comes up the voice of waters evermore.

L. M. MONTGOMERY.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, November). November Dusk. The Farm Journal. 28(11): 372. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-11_28_11/page/372/mode/2up

Created November 1, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

something especially spooky in the way of ghosts

"a ghost you couldn't see but could hear and feel was something especially spooky in the way of ghosts"
-L.M. Montgomery
Emily of New Moon

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created October 31, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Down in the Pastures by L.M. Montgomery

In July 1906, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Down in the Pastures" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:



Here is the full text of the poem:

DOWN IN THE PASTURES
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

Down in the pastures, remote and cool,

In the glow of a golden afternoon,

Where the calm-eyed cows by the birchen pool

Browse, and meandering breezes croon

Among the clover and daisies there,
In the wine-like sweetness of summer air,

I rambled to-day—no companionships

Of human creatures, no voice save the low
Leaf murmurs that wandered to and fro,

And the brook’s mysterious sibylline lips.

A bluebird, perched on a picket gray,

Sang a song that was blithe and free;

It looked askance as I passed that way,

Yet the shy thing seemed not afraid of me.

And each wild rose that opened there
Its virgin lips to the calm blue air

Among the bracken a welcome gave,

And I felt that everything, flower and bird,
By some subtle instinct of joy was stirred,

Such as mortals know not and vainly crave.

O, it was sweet on this summer day

To learn my kinship to those wild things,

To feel as unfettered and glad as they

And as if my spirit at least had wings,

To lay my heart against Nature’s own
Till the haunting music of each deep tone

Passed into my soul with a rapt release

From the pain and turmoil of outer life,
To forget the meaning of selfish strife

And learn the depth of primeval peace.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1906, July). Down in the Pastures. The Farm Journal. 30(7): 234. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1906-07_30_7/page/234/mode/2up

Created October 30, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of)

Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) (2022) is a modern adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's story as a graphic novel, written and illustrated by Kathleen Gros. The graphic novel is 304 pages in length, and it re-imagines the story of Anne of Green Gables with an LGBTQ+ spin.

In this retelling, Anne Shirley is a foster child who is taken in by the Cuthberts and find a new home at the Avon-Lea apartments. Anne develops a strong relationship with her neighbor Diana, and her feelings grow to be more than friendship.

Author and illustrator Kathleen Gros previously published a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women in 2020, entitled Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of). In an interview with Emma Kantor for Publishers Weekly, Kathleen Gros reflected on how she approaches her adaptations saying, "My approach is to try and hold on to the heart of the story—the themes, the feelings of the characters, and what resonated with me as a reader. At the same time, I try to find analogous ways to express those ideas that might feel more familiar to readers today."

Kathleen Gros explains why she explored LGBTQ+ themes in her contemporary retelling of Anne's story saying, "In my retelling, I was particularly interested in further exploring Anne and Diana’s friendship. So many of the queer women I know saw their childhood crushes reflected in Anne and Diana’s relationship. I wanted to speak to those feelings and honor them with this adaptation."

In an essay at the New York Times, Catherine Hong reviewed several modern adaptations of Anne of Green Gables. In discussing Kathleen Gros's retelling, Hong writes: "Much has been written about repressed desire in the series at least since 2000, when Laura Robinson’s paper 'Bosom Friends: Lesbian Desire in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne Books' sparked a mini-furor at an academic conference. It’s no stretch: Even casual fans have to raise an eyebrow at Anne’s flamboyant passion for Diana and her scornful attitude toward marriage. 'I love Diana so, Marilla,'” Anne declares. 'I cannot ever live without her. But I know very well when we grow up that Diana will get married and go away and leave me. And oh, what shall I do? I hate her husband — I just hate him furiously.'" Catherine Hong says that Gros doesn't shy away from these observations of repressed desire and instead "puts the gay stuff front and center."


Here is the description of the book from Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers:

In this modern graphic novel retelling of Anne of Green Gables from graphic novelist Kathleen Gros, foster kid Anne Shirley finally lands in a loving home and befriends a girl who she may have more-than-friends feelings for.

Anne Shirley has been in foster care her whole life. So when the Cuthberts take her in, she hopes it’s for good. They seem to be hitting it off, but how will they react to the trouble that Anne can sometimes find herself in . . . like accidentally dyeing her hair green or taking a dangerous dare that leaves her in a cast?

Then Anne meets Diana Barry, a girl who lives in her apartment building, the Avon-Lea. The two become fast friends, as Anne finds she can share anything with Diana. As time goes on, though, Anne starts to develop more-than-friends feelings for Diana.

A new foster home, a new school, and a first-time crush—it’s a lot all at once. But if anyone can handle life’s twists and turns, it’s the irrepressible Anne Shirley.

Reviews

"Gird your loins, traditionalists, because the queerification of Anne is in full flower."
—Catherine Hong, The New York Times

"Coupled with easy-to-follow paneling, expressive characters rendered in vibrant hues aptly covey middle school dramas that tug on the heartstrings and provide levity in this cozy jaunt."
—Publishers Weekly

"Gr 6-8-The "Sort Of" in the subtitle is an important clarification for readers expecting a graphic novel of Anne's adventures in Avonlea, who might be startled at the modern take on the beloved novel. In Gros's version, Anne Shirley is a foster kid living with the Cuthbert siblings, who are surprised at the teenaged girl who arrives at their door. The Cuthberts live in an apartment building named Avon-Lea, where Anne Shirley fans will find many recognizable characters. Similar to Montgomery's telling, Anne is headstrong and difficult to get along with, and she has her characteristically recognizable run-ins with the neighbors and classmates. Diana is introduced to Anne as a possible friend, and the girls do form a quick bond, spending lots of time together. Readers will begin to see the graphic novel and original novel diverge when Anne and Diana attend the neighborhood middle school and interact with other seventh graders who have modern-day issues. This is especially showcased when Anne and Diana develop crushes on each other and attend a dance together. As a stand-alone story rather than an adaptation, this graphic novel succeeds on its own, with plenty of realistic plot points for middle grade readers to find compelling and fun. VERDICT A fun story for middle grade readers who enjoy coming-of-age graphic novels and modern adaptations of classics."
—Kim Gardner, School Library Journal

ISBN: 9780063057654


Image credit:
Book cover of Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of).

References:
Hong, Catherine. (November 4, 2022). Anne of Everywhere: Suddenly, remakes and adaptations of L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” series are proliferating. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/books/review/anne-of-green-gables-reboots.html.

Kantor, Emma. (September 1, 2022). Kindred Spirits: Children's Authors Reimagine 'Anne of Green Gables.' Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/90208-kindred-spirits-children-s-authors-reimagine-anne-of-green-gables.html.

Purchase and read Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of):


Created October 29, 2022. Last updated May 2, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

There was an indefinable change over everything that meant autumn.

"There was an indefinable change over everything that meant autumn."
-L.M. Montgomery
Jane of Lantern Hill

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created October 26, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com