Question for Anne of Green Gables fans

bamamama

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 1:45 am

I was also surprised how little Marilla figured in the last two (three?) books. Perhaps that's a clue to Mrs.Rachel. I think, especially if people moved away, it wasn't expected back then that they be around all the time. When kids left the nest, they left. And, I bet Mrs. Rachel's personality might've had a wee bit to do with it, also...

LisaS

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 2:18 am

I actually liked Rachel. At the beginning she was awful, but over time Anne won her over and she seemed to mellow out a bit. I never thought about her kids - that's a great question. I suppose Marilla needed the company too so it made sense for them to move in together.

smilethere

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 4:43 am

Time to take the series out of the library again.

Oh, how I love these books, thanks for reminding me...

sequoia

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 4:54 am

LisaS wrote:

It's funny this thread has been revived, I'd forgotten all about it.

I really like Rachel too. That's why it made me sad that she had eight adult children and none of them seemed to care about her very much. (I say eight because she "brought up ten children and buried two.")

That said, Rachel and Marilla's relationship is a huge literary testament to the power and necessity of life-long female friendships.

LisaS

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 5:53 am

I saw Anne of Green Gables translated to Hebrew at the local used book shop. I was debating whether to get it for my kids (who can't read high level English at this point.) Besides the plot, what I loved about the Anne series was the language - the descriptions, witticisms, etc that wouldn't be the same translated. I appreciated that more as an adult than when I read it as a kid.

m in Israel

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 6:35 am

Oh, I love the series.

When Rachel's husband died she realized she could not keep the farm financially (as someone mentioned they mortgaged it to "give their last son a start out west"), and she was planning on moving in with her daughter Eliza. (Eliza is the only one referenced as to being at the funeral -- some sort of line the next day that "she had to return home quickly because her son was sick." It seems that the other kids all moved farther away) She was unhappy because she disliked Eliza's husband and didn't want to leave PEI -- something to the effect that "someone of her age doesn't make new friends and interests easily". At the same time Marilla wanted Anne to have her chance at college, so this seemed the opportunity to help her friend and give Anne that chance. Marilla does specifically say that Rachel's kids would be supporting her financially, so all she would need to be providing was the space in the house.

As far as Marilla not really appearing in the later books, there is a reference in one of them that says Marilla died shortly after the birth of Rilla (It may be in the last book were Rilla says something about never really knowing her). Rilla was born towards the beginning of Anne of Ingleside, so Marilla would no longer have been alive in the last two books (Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingelside), and for part of the third to last.

I also appreciated a lot more about the books as an adult -- I remember reading them in 5th grade or so and skipping whole paragraphs of description -- now when I reread them I savor those paragraphs. I also find a lot of meaning in her one liners -- there were a few paragraphs when Ruby dies that truly give me the chills every time I read them. I also love Rilla of Ingleside -- I found it depressing as a kid and beautiful now.

I disliked the prequel Before Green Gables. I don't know -- somehow the writing style seemed so crass and rough compared to Montgomery's beautiful and lyrical allusions.

sunny90

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 7:12 am

Oh how I love this series.
It's great to see how many others do too!

c.c.cookie

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 7:44 am

Another fan, piping up here! For years every summer first day of vacation I sat down with Anne of Green Gables, and was pretty much not seen again until I turned the last page of Rilla of Ingleside.

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 10:16 am

m in Israel wrote:

As far as Marilla not really appearing in the later books, there is a reference in one of them that says Marilla died shortly after the birth of Rilla (It may be in the last book were Rilla says something about never really knowing her). Rilla was born towards the beginning of Anne of Ingleside, so Marilla would no longer have been alive in the last two books (Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingelside), and for part of the third to last.

I just want to mention that I recently reread Rainbow Valley, and the kids take a trip to Marilla at some point during the book. So she's alive then...

m in Israel

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 10:32 am

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

m in Israel wrote:

I just want to mention that I recently reread Rainbow Valley, and the kids take a trip to Marilla at some point during the book. So she's alive then...

I haven't read Rainbow Valley so recently, but when you said this I did remember that it begins with Anne and Gilbert returning from their European trip, and you are definitely right that some of the kids stayed by Marilla -- so she was alive at the beginning of Rainbow Valley.

I just checked the line I was referring to which is at the beginning of Rilla of Ingelside. It says "She had been named after Aunt Marilla of Green Gables, but Aunt Marilla had died before Rilla was old enough to know her very well" -- so that didn't have to be right after she was born. I guess I remembered it wrong! I guess she dies sometime between Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingelside!!

dee's mommy

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 10:34 am

m in Israel wrote:

I disliked the prequel Before Green Gables. I don't know -- somehow the writing style seemed so crass and rough compared to Montgomery's beautiful and lyrical allusions.

Fair enough. There are those who dislike this book because it lacks the innocence of the original series.

Anne's past is sketched out in chapter 5 of Anne of Green Gables. I mean that literally, because it is very sketchy. Even so, it is a pretty bleak past. Anne herself doesn't like to talk about it.

Back to the bleak past: I have seen in an essay or two (Usually in the back of most editions published today, and one that is in the Annotated edition) a description of the reality of an orphan's life during that time period. Anne's life once she comes to Green Gables is beyond ideal, and realistically would be an unlikely outcome for most orphans: A loving home, a good education, a respectable career, a university degree and marriage to a doctor are all high aspirations. Most orphans would not be adopted for the sake of taking care of a child. They were looked on as cheap or free labor. Also, the fact that Anne's parents were married to each other and were respected high school teachers puts her into a "higher class" category as far as orphans are concerned. Most orphans didn't have origins that were so "respectable." This is part of the reason why people were not so sympathetic towards orphans. Another thing that these essays point out is that Anne is very ladylike and uses refined language, where most orphans did not. (I have recently started to read Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside, where another orphan character, Mary Vance is portrayed quite differently from Anne.)

The prequel matches up what Anne briefly describes, and naturally is much darker than the series, matching the reality of what Anne's past would have been. She would have been exposed to many dark things, and therefore, the book is darker and "crasser" and "rougher" than the original series. It is true to the chapter "Anne's History" in the first book. I have only read it once years ago, so my memory is not very clear. It is possible that this book had it's flaws, but many books do. In comparison to other classical books that have recently written prequels or sequels, I think this one was well written and well thought out.

Raisin

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 12:16 pm

I read the prequel and enjoyed it. but now I realise that I haven't read most of the later books in the series. Better remedy that now!

Raisin

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 12:18 pm

just downloaded the whole set from ibooks. 49c.

bamamama

Wed, Jun 27 2012, 5:37 pm

There's also the fairly recent The Blythes Are Quoted which is a compilation of writings found after L.M. Montgomery's death, IIRC. It's pretty dark but is an interesting read. In it you see how much Anne changed after Walter's death in the war.

momfrombrooklyn

Fri, Aug 03 2012, 2:31 am

Rachel really did mellow as the books progressed. One of my favorite scenes is when Anne gave her "apology" to Rachel for insulting her the first time they met.