Well, I need a book and its sequels to rightly talk about
this one, so you get a three-fer here. I’m choosing Anne of Green Gables, Anne ofAvonlea, and Anne of the Island
as my classic romance. Is there anything better than L.M. Montgomery’s
thwarted/not-thwarted love stories in general? I mean, for romances? I claim
there is not. You also may get the impression here that I’ve read a lot more
than these three recently… so sorry if basically all of her works sneak in.
The way relationships develop in Montgomery’s work is really
all the more poignant when you realize she herself entered an unhappy marriage after she turned down other men. In Chronicles of Avonlea she seems to want to
rectify this over and over and over again.
Anne is, of course, a classic character of children’s lit.
After rereading all (yes ALL) of the series earlier this year I feel like they
hold up well as an adult reader. Except, EXCEPT Anne of Ingleside. This is one
Montgomery went back and wrote later, and the charm has gone out of it. The
sewing circle gossip seems mean rather than lighthearted and the whole thing
is just…bleh. I think that’s the one everyone focuses on when they say “well,
they just get worse as they go along.” Yet, Rilla of Ingleside is a really
delightful book. Don’t believe the hype and give Rilla a chance.
Anyway, I love all the romances in Montgomery. Actually, I find Emily Starr and Dean Priest to be just creepy, so maybe not all. That works out okay
in the end though. Emily’s a smart girl. Of course Anne and Gilbert is one of
the most satisfying since it takes so long to develop (and doesn’t get stupidly
put off like Emily and Teddy). You know it’s going to happen, yet they each
grow as their own people before they finally get together. In contemporary
boy/girl relationships I wouldn’t accept the “well, he pulls your hair because he likes you." Clearly that cements all kinds of really bad expectations
for how men and women should interact. However, I’m not actually certain that
Gilbert liked Anne at the hair-pulling point though, as he was just probably a jerk. Anne was right to be pissed. Yet, the book certainly teaches us
about the downsides of holding a grudge after the Ophelia incident.
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| Shakespeare comes to life... |
Gilbert and Anne have a lovely romance because they both
inspire each other (sometimes out of spite) to work harder and be better people.
Once they are married their union is represented as a very happy one (DON’T pay
attention to the blurbs for Anne of Ingleside AT ALL). Gilbert is sometimes
stuffy and condescending, yes, but overall I accept it as a romance that I
feel warm and fuzzy about (nostalgia tinged, of course).
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| Warm fuzzies. |
Most of the books (not Windy Poplars or Ingleside which were
written later and not public domain yet) are available as a set online for .99,
so I suggest you give them a reread if it’s been a few decades.
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