February 6, 2014
Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery - 1874-1942 - Edwardian, primarily, but Anne set in more Victorian era, at least residues there in Marilla’s emphasis on propriety in initial chapters - Marilla’s own upbringing Brought up my grandparents so older parents belong to Montgomery herself Self sacrifice of anne at end parallel to Montgomery
Sentimental Fiction -
Classic of orphan girl novel genre
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Barnardo children as historical reality (british philanthropist arranged for adoption of a hundred thousand children. Were hoards of children put through ringer of charity. Acquired and accumulated in England then sent to homes. In recent years have been apologise to these children and their decedents. Virtually all exploited as cheap farm labour – was not unusual to see the children as a cheap pool of labour) Anne has been used as a nanny for Mrs. Thomas and Hammond. Her education has been as skimpy as her dresses. Did not go to school – too busy taking care of Hammonds 3 sets of twins. Social reality and Montgomery’s humorous take on it. Also drunken husbands.
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Interesting bit of xenophobia that Marilla wants a Canadian-born child.
Narrator often humorous commentary allow for greater range of readers. Montgomery makes it clear that everyone shocked when Marilla and Matthew accept the child. Montgomery gives us this world that is extremely prospered – everyone knows everyone’s business. Marilla has no other children for Anne to look after, needs no help in kitchen, want a boy on farm not acceptable to put Anne on farm – everyone in community suggests Anne has no purpose in Anne of Green Gables. Say maybe they could be use to her – everyone sees this as outlandish In some way, Anne’s happy ending chapter 6 – when Marilla allows her to stay at Green Gables. A text in some ways about finding home rather than home away home. In some ways about stabilizing home, about evolving home. Each chapter episodic – each has its own little climax. This is part of being a girls book. Lots of climaxes (sounds Freudian, it is... lol) Home, family, church, school – girl’s books. These are Anne’s trials. Treasure Island – cutting loose, Jim needs to prove self as a man. Anne needs to balance needs of community and own personality.
She becomes more and more quiet, less and less irritating and imaginative over the course of the novel, which for some readers is a loss. The loss of individuality Home – orphan finding establishment in this landscape. Part of her challenges are adapting to this community that has particular ideas of how girls should be. Critical articles (for essay) – lots of articles on Anne (also Peter Pan... she mentioned that one day)
Sensibility -
“sensitive feeling, emotion” from Harmon and Holman’s A Handbook to Literature: “a term for a reliance on feelings as guides to truth and not on reason and law... Connected with such 18th century attitudes as primitivism, sentimentalism, the nature movement and other aspects of romanticism
Think about emphasis on home and green gables when reading it Girls fiction, domestic novel, episodic nature. Also have elements of romance when Anne plays the lilly maid or something. Literary roots come from idea of sensibility. Sensibility seen as a good thing. Sensitivity to feeling and emotion. Reliance on feelings for guides. According to modernists, problem with sensibility that 18th century began to leave thought out of equation. Instead of sensibility, you had stupidity. Had feelings that became crude and sentimental rather than relying on sensibility to guide you to truth – emotions became too much. Had a divide between Thomas Hobbes – humankind were essentially selfish and if you wanted to guide humanity, had to guide allowances for that and if you paid attention to that, could guide them accordingly. Shaksbury – humans essentially good. Humans had an innate affection for virtue, beauty, good for one’s self and society – Anne’s motivations are always good. Marilla has to guide her in terms of thinking of consequences but don’t have to worry about her being bad hearted. According to Hobbes anne should be wicked and mean spirited. Instead, Montgomery gives us this virtue. Emphasized even in first descriptions of Anne. Ordinary observer – pragmatic. Description suggests innate understanding of truth and beauty (the extraordinary observer) 1) An overindulgence in emo, esp the conscious effort to induce emotion in order to enjoy it 2) An optimistic overemphasis of the goodness of humanity 3) “may be said to result whenever a reader or an audience is asked to experience an emotional response in excess of that merited by the occasion or one that has not been adequately prepared for” (467)