How do you do,
Well, the past month and one week has been dedicated in going over the Anne of Green Gables series and now it's finally coming to an end. Without further ado, we get into Anne of Ingleside.
Well, the past month and one week has been dedicated in going over the Anne of Green Gables series and now it's finally coming to an end. Without further ado, we get into Anne of Ingleside.
If there seems anything to the addition of this book, I would say that there was one reason for bringing up another book about Anne for Montgomery on part because the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of the first book was arriving. What better way for Montgomery to celebrate it than to have another sequel. Another reason for this also was to fill up some gaps that in the narrative of the seven books already out there now. In this case, was to add a bridge between Anne's House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley, so we can find out how Jem got Dog Monday, how the kids evolved (since they weren't the focus of the now book seven), how Rilla was born, and so on. Apparently, she didn't make the thirtieth anniversary in getting it published, as it came out in 1939 (the year World War II began).
The book opens with Anne visiting Diana (a first as the character was practically written out of the series in Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside) because Gilbert is attending the funeral of his father. For two chapters, Anne and Diana talk while making some remembrances on the past in places their children are playing in. During their talk, we are told about an Aunt Mary Maria Blythe, who is Gilbert's aunt. I find it interesting that she practically has the same name for a first and middle name (Mary is a variant of Maria). Mary Maria moves in with the Blythes, which signals trouble. She refers to Anne as Annie, a childish name that signifies Mary Maria to see Anne as a child despite being 34 now and with five children of her own.
Remember the Blythe children from Rainbow Valley? They are shown younger here, all as kids, with Shirley still a two year old. We even see bookish Walter as a boy as well as the impish Jem. In the picture of the novel, you can tell who is who based on their clothes: Jem and Shirley are wearing suspenders while Walter is the sweater with sailor's collar and holding a book. Nearest to Anne are Nan and Di, the twins. The image in this edition does suggest that there is a closer bound between Anne and her daughters while the boys hardly have it. Justified as Susan reared the baby of the bunch while Anne was ill, according to the back story. Not only that, is really shows how the authoress viewed the sexes as the boys' world was something not known to her in opposition of girls' (contrast to Mark Twain who knew the boys' world better than girls'; while I have managed to learn both worlds at once). In a way, this is a more formal introduction that Rainbow Valley neglected (would be redundant if Montgomery made such then and then have them reintroduced here, though).
As to Aunt Mary Maria, the conflict sometimes stems with her and the children. For example, when Jem gets into an argument about hanging out with some boys in another part of town, Mary Maria can't help but comment on how if she had given her parents lip they'd beat her up. We'd may think that because people use to spank children as recent as the sixties this remark would seem out of place. In reality, as corporal punishment did exist in the past there were plenty of people who opposed the use of it. In fact, the British Empire saw the downsizing of its use in 1860 (before Anne was born) where a child actually died after being whipped by his school master. This caused scandal and led to it being fazed out in both Europe and North America. That did change by the end of the century when it was perceived children were becoming wild and complaints died down. At the same time, it was noted that the use of pain to correct people is a short term punishment and rarely lasts long (practically leading to years of resentment, hostility, and strange sexual preferences, as well as a sadistic notion that it's okay to hurt and humiliate others). From a psychotic standpoint, Mary Maria grew up being spanked with a birch and seems jealous that a newer generation of children are not given the thrashing when they step out of line. No doubt, the statement is also a tact on the current society, at that time; a voice from the past taking note of the present and expressing an opinion over it.
Mary Maria also exhibits a bit of classism where in the same scene she doesn't respond when Susan speaks up in favor of Jem. It's explained on page 21 that Mary Maria knew Susan to be a servant and her place was not at the table during company, but Anne was willing to let her be because Mary Maria is family as is she. In a way, she is. However, Mary Maria sees Susan as a spinster servant who doesn't belong. If this took place in the United States where such women as Susan Baker were usually black, it'd be understandable (given the times) to some. Since there doesn't seem to be alot of women of color in Prince Edward Island, at that time, the image of someone like Culpurnia from To Kill a Mockingbird would be anachronistic.
Mary Maria basically becomes over opinionated in alot of things. She considers Gilbert's grace to be too short, the chimneys of the house too short, and that the children all have bad manners. So, she not only stays for two weeks, but they stretch into a month, and then occupy the book. There is the retold story of Hans Christian Andersen visiting Charles Dickens, once, and crashing on his sofa, for a couple of weeks, and then after he left Dickens stopped corresponding for some reason. Dickens' daughter remarked on how the man "stayed and stayed". No doubt, something happened, maybe it was Andersen, but it is something to relate to when mentioning of Mary Maria. She "stayed and stayed" while in the Blythe house. The house does belong to Gilbert, but the man never seems to get the nerve to tell his aunt that it's not her place to be judging his child rearing. When a child goes out of line with her, he is quick to lay down the law. However, if Mary Maria says something insulting, especially with the way she treats his wife and his maid, he does nothing short of permitting it. The grace part was just the beginning. At least, Anne does speak up to her when Mary Maria calls Walter a crybaby and speaks of how two families she knew wouldn't permit it (the old "if you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about" deal) and Mary Maria reacts like some modern person taken aback at a snowflake's reaction to a statement. Still, Mary Maria can't help but use the scary black man image to keep Walter in line when he goes to Lowbridge (get it? Low Bridge?). The last is racially insensitive to modern readers, I know, but it is true: people actually believed in the boogie man who was black and would come to visit bad children for a pop. Frederick Douglass even spoke of it in his autobiography. The image is racist, but not the color coding; for centuries it's been seen in Western cultures that white means purity and goodness while black is darkness and maleficence. She uses that while criticizing Anne for believing in Santa Claus.
Walter goes to Lowbridge and encounters the Parker family, where the boys are violent and prone to fights, opposed to the sweet and delicate Alice. Walter attempts to hold his own, but Alice makes him think his mom was ill. At that, Walter makes a run for home and finds Susan to greet him. She assures him that his mother is not ill. Then it turns out Walter was out, along with most of the others, because Anne was about to give birth (once more pregnancy wasn't brought up and it just happens out of the blue). Walter then gets to see Baby Rilla, the girl we see in the next two books. With Rilla now born, the number of children in the family has risen to six.
After Rilla's birth, Rebecca Dew and Elizabeth Grayson return, the former to become kindred spirits with Susan, while the latter is shown to have grown into a lady. Not only do they return, but it is around this time that Jem gets a dog, with Gilbert bringing it up by quoting Lewis Carroll in Chapter 18. Originally, the Blythes had a dog named Rex, who was poisoned before the novel commences. Gyp is the name of the new dog and he dies in one chapter. Of course, Jem would get a new one.
Even with episodes with the children, Anne is still the protagonist in the novel. Episodes involving her show up now and then, especially when she sees a man die and a poem dedicated to him is published in the obituaries with an added verse. The latter provides an early case of an emoji:
Yet, the real plot of the novel, surprisingly, comes near the end where Gilbert is seen seeing Christine Stuart again. It amazes Anne who believes, following a fight, that he has fallen out of love with her. Next thing you know, divorce. Turned out to be false as Christine wasn't seeing Gilbert, even if she were widowed and childless. Besides, Gilbert was worried over some patient and it was all for naught. Eventually, they come to an understanding that things have been taken for granted.
Then the novel ties into Rainbow Valley by having Anne and Gilbert go on a trip to the medical congress (which seems to last a year if it goes by the books, as Anne is forty one then). Earlier, Anne sets up a surprise party for Mary Maria, which is something that offends her terribly. At long last, she packs up and moves out and will never be brought back again. I cannot say but it is a relief when she is gone. She embodies the over opinionated old woman, like with grannies or spinster aunts, who pass down judgements on everything while being hostile to the heroines and never once having any fun. The novel takes place over a period of six years, which is longer than in any of the other installments. By the time the book ends, Anne is forty years old and Rilla is walking and talking.
A few thoughts to add is Montgomery has once more added a new style to the book, while removing some of the cliches that plagued the previous installments. Of course, Anne of Ingleside is not perfect. I do miss seeing titled chapters in the text that would help with citing something. The chapters here just have numbers and makes it difficult. So, we have to rely on the old fashion method of the use of pages. Anne of Ingleside ties in to the narrative where we see Anne as a mother, after Anne's House of Dreams shows her as a newlywed, Anne of Windy Poplars as a working woman, Anne of the Island as a single lady, Anne of Avonlea as grown up, and Anne of Green Gables as a child. Thus, all six stages of her life in six books, with Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside added to show her as getting over the hill and stepping aside for the new generation. So, Anne of Ingleside is a necessary addition, though it doesn't improve the quality of the sequels much. The flaws in Anne of Ingleside still include the recycled material and situations involving imaginative girls, a death, and now a birth, and the flow of words do seem to have changed. In the last, it hardly seems like L. M. Montgomery of the past, though one could say the author has matured now.
The book opens with Anne visiting Diana (a first as the character was practically written out of the series in Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside) because Gilbert is attending the funeral of his father. For two chapters, Anne and Diana talk while making some remembrances on the past in places their children are playing in. During their talk, we are told about an Aunt Mary Maria Blythe, who is Gilbert's aunt. I find it interesting that she practically has the same name for a first and middle name (Mary is a variant of Maria). Mary Maria moves in with the Blythes, which signals trouble. She refers to Anne as Annie, a childish name that signifies Mary Maria to see Anne as a child despite being 34 now and with five children of her own.
Remember the Blythe children from Rainbow Valley? They are shown younger here, all as kids, with Shirley still a two year old. We even see bookish Walter as a boy as well as the impish Jem. In the picture of the novel, you can tell who is who based on their clothes: Jem and Shirley are wearing suspenders while Walter is the sweater with sailor's collar and holding a book. Nearest to Anne are Nan and Di, the twins. The image in this edition does suggest that there is a closer bound between Anne and her daughters while the boys hardly have it. Justified as Susan reared the baby of the bunch while Anne was ill, according to the back story. Not only that, is really shows how the authoress viewed the sexes as the boys' world was something not known to her in opposition of girls' (contrast to Mark Twain who knew the boys' world better than girls'; while I have managed to learn both worlds at once). In a way, this is a more formal introduction that Rainbow Valley neglected (would be redundant if Montgomery made such then and then have them reintroduced here, though).
As to Aunt Mary Maria, the conflict sometimes stems with her and the children. For example, when Jem gets into an argument about hanging out with some boys in another part of town, Mary Maria can't help but comment on how if she had given her parents lip they'd beat her up. We'd may think that because people use to spank children as recent as the sixties this remark would seem out of place. In reality, as corporal punishment did exist in the past there were plenty of people who opposed the use of it. In fact, the British Empire saw the downsizing of its use in 1860 (before Anne was born) where a child actually died after being whipped by his school master. This caused scandal and led to it being fazed out in both Europe and North America. That did change by the end of the century when it was perceived children were becoming wild and complaints died down. At the same time, it was noted that the use of pain to correct people is a short term punishment and rarely lasts long (practically leading to years of resentment, hostility, and strange sexual preferences, as well as a sadistic notion that it's okay to hurt and humiliate others). From a psychotic standpoint, Mary Maria grew up being spanked with a birch and seems jealous that a newer generation of children are not given the thrashing when they step out of line. No doubt, the statement is also a tact on the current society, at that time; a voice from the past taking note of the present and expressing an opinion over it.
Mary Maria also exhibits a bit of classism where in the same scene she doesn't respond when Susan speaks up in favor of Jem. It's explained on page 21 that Mary Maria knew Susan to be a servant and her place was not at the table during company, but Anne was willing to let her be because Mary Maria is family as is she. In a way, she is. However, Mary Maria sees Susan as a spinster servant who doesn't belong. If this took place in the United States where such women as Susan Baker were usually black, it'd be understandable (given the times) to some. Since there doesn't seem to be alot of women of color in Prince Edward Island, at that time, the image of someone like Culpurnia from To Kill a Mockingbird would be anachronistic.
Mary Maria basically becomes over opinionated in alot of things. She considers Gilbert's grace to be too short, the chimneys of the house too short, and that the children all have bad manners. So, she not only stays for two weeks, but they stretch into a month, and then occupy the book. There is the retold story of Hans Christian Andersen visiting Charles Dickens, once, and crashing on his sofa, for a couple of weeks, and then after he left Dickens stopped corresponding for some reason. Dickens' daughter remarked on how the man "stayed and stayed". No doubt, something happened, maybe it was Andersen, but it is something to relate to when mentioning of Mary Maria. She "stayed and stayed" while in the Blythe house. The house does belong to Gilbert, but the man never seems to get the nerve to tell his aunt that it's not her place to be judging his child rearing. When a child goes out of line with her, he is quick to lay down the law. However, if Mary Maria says something insulting, especially with the way she treats his wife and his maid, he does nothing short of permitting it. The grace part was just the beginning. At least, Anne does speak up to her when Mary Maria calls Walter a crybaby and speaks of how two families she knew wouldn't permit it (the old "if you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about" deal) and Mary Maria reacts like some modern person taken aback at a snowflake's reaction to a statement. Still, Mary Maria can't help but use the scary black man image to keep Walter in line when he goes to Lowbridge (get it? Low Bridge?). The last is racially insensitive to modern readers, I know, but it is true: people actually believed in the boogie man who was black and would come to visit bad children for a pop. Frederick Douglass even spoke of it in his autobiography. The image is racist, but not the color coding; for centuries it's been seen in Western cultures that white means purity and goodness while black is darkness and maleficence. She uses that while criticizing Anne for believing in Santa Claus.
Walter goes to Lowbridge and encounters the Parker family, where the boys are violent and prone to fights, opposed to the sweet and delicate Alice. Walter attempts to hold his own, but Alice makes him think his mom was ill. At that, Walter makes a run for home and finds Susan to greet him. She assures him that his mother is not ill. Then it turns out Walter was out, along with most of the others, because Anne was about to give birth (once more pregnancy wasn't brought up and it just happens out of the blue). Walter then gets to see Baby Rilla, the girl we see in the next two books. With Rilla now born, the number of children in the family has risen to six.
After Rilla's birth, Rebecca Dew and Elizabeth Grayson return, the former to become kindred spirits with Susan, while the latter is shown to have grown into a lady. Not only do they return, but it is around this time that Jem gets a dog, with Gilbert bringing it up by quoting Lewis Carroll in Chapter 18. Originally, the Blythes had a dog named Rex, who was poisoned before the novel commences. Gyp is the name of the new dog and he dies in one chapter. Of course, Jem would get a new one.
Even with episodes with the children, Anne is still the protagonist in the novel. Episodes involving her show up now and then, especially when she sees a man die and a poem dedicated to him is published in the obituaries with an added verse. The latter provides an early case of an emoji:
"!!!" said Ingleside. (p.125)It is a challenge to know what "!!!" means, but I am willing to guess it means "gasp!" But if there are things to bring up, it's that Montgomery sort of repeats the story at one point. First Walter comes running home to think Anne was dying. Then Nan does the same thing from different people. This time, no new baby. For the most part, things are episodic with some things involving Anne and some things focused on her children. We have a foreshadow of Walter's death, in one chapter, to connect it to Rilla of Ingleside. Besides the loss of a pet, one of the themes in the book is about who your friends are, which is something the Blythe children learn. Di gets a friend named Jenny Penny who treats her like a little thing and laughs at her praying. Rilla grows into a little girl and we see her with her lisps. Her first words in the saga are a prayer for rain. Rilla also is asked to carry a cake and thinks it shameful.
Yet, the real plot of the novel, surprisingly, comes near the end where Gilbert is seen seeing Christine Stuart again. It amazes Anne who believes, following a fight, that he has fallen out of love with her. Next thing you know, divorce. Turned out to be false as Christine wasn't seeing Gilbert, even if she were widowed and childless. Besides, Gilbert was worried over some patient and it was all for naught. Eventually, they come to an understanding that things have been taken for granted.
Then the novel ties into Rainbow Valley by having Anne and Gilbert go on a trip to the medical congress (which seems to last a year if it goes by the books, as Anne is forty one then). Earlier, Anne sets up a surprise party for Mary Maria, which is something that offends her terribly. At long last, she packs up and moves out and will never be brought back again. I cannot say but it is a relief when she is gone. She embodies the over opinionated old woman, like with grannies or spinster aunts, who pass down judgements on everything while being hostile to the heroines and never once having any fun. The novel takes place over a period of six years, which is longer than in any of the other installments. By the time the book ends, Anne is forty years old and Rilla is walking and talking.
A few thoughts to add is Montgomery has once more added a new style to the book, while removing some of the cliches that plagued the previous installments. Of course, Anne of Ingleside is not perfect. I do miss seeing titled chapters in the text that would help with citing something. The chapters here just have numbers and makes it difficult. So, we have to rely on the old fashion method of the use of pages. Anne of Ingleside ties in to the narrative where we see Anne as a mother, after Anne's House of Dreams shows her as a newlywed, Anne of Windy Poplars as a working woman, Anne of the Island as a single lady, Anne of Avonlea as grown up, and Anne of Green Gables as a child. Thus, all six stages of her life in six books, with Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside added to show her as getting over the hill and stepping aside for the new generation. So, Anne of Ingleside is a necessary addition, though it doesn't improve the quality of the sequels much. The flaws in Anne of Ingleside still include the recycled material and situations involving imaginative girls, a death, and now a birth, and the flow of words do seem to have changed. In the last, it hardly seems like L. M. Montgomery of the past, though one could say the author has matured now.
This is the last Anne of Green Gables novel to have L. M. Montgomery's personal touch. No doubt, another Anne book would have been in the making to bring the story to the Twenties, Thirties, and now the Forties, if the readers requested it. Of course, that meant that now Anne would be an elderly woman whose red hair has turned gray and white, thus removing her one source of shame very late in life. Either that or the focus would continue on her children. Who knows, because Montgomery didn't seem to have plans of another novel in the series by then. She was also creating another set of short stories that took place in Avonlea, titled as The Blythes Are Quoted, which was rejected by a publisher in 1942. So, if the future of Anne was to be told, it would be in a series of short stories. Sadly, on April 24, 1942, before another publisher could be found to publish, Montgomery died, apparently of drug overdose. She was 67 at the time of her death. Her newest entry would be edited into the book Road to Yesterday in the seventies, but it was published in its original form more recently. In the wikipedia page, this entry makes the books of the Anne of Green Gables Series go up to nine, though most would prefer the main eight already out as they are really novels, while The Blythes Are Quoted is not. So, this concludes this journey in examining Anne of Green Gables and its sequels. Rereading them all still brings the "scope to the imagination" again just as they did for the sixteen year old boy who first read them in high school, wanted to be with Anne Shirley, and visit the world of Avonlea. Today, it's been a century and nine years since the first book was published (next year it'll be 110). Things have changed over the previous century, but we still need moments to inspire imaginations. We need people like Anne in the current time and we need more enduring charms that come with her; we definitely need something to make us think of simpler times, as there is so much "scope to the imagination" that comes with the simpler times.
Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Ingleside. (1939) Bantom Books. New York. 1992.
Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Ingleside. (1939) Bantom Books. New York. 1992.
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