First edition of Anne of the Island
All right, who knows what's going on at this wiki right now? *raises hand, looks around anxiously* In case you somehow didn't get the memo once you arrived, we're currently ten days into our month-long 100 Years of Anne of the Island project! As it is Day #10, I've taken the liberty of bringing you ten interesting facts about Anne of the Island that you may or may not know (depending on how well you've perused this wiki).
(Disclaimer: These facts aren't mindblowing or shocking, and some are nearly common knowledge, but I still feel confident in putting 'interesting' in the title. This is an Anne website, after all.)
#1: It is L. M. Montgomery's seventh book.
Preceded by Anne of Green Gables (1908), Anne of Avonlea (1909), Kilmeny of the Orchard (1910), The Story Girl (1911), Chronicles of Avonlea (1912) and The Golden Road (1913).
#2: It was first published in Boston by L. C. Page & Co. in July 1915.
Maybe better known, but it's true all the same. The previous Anne books (Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea) were published in 1908 and 1909; Montgomery took a break from Anne, but found herself returning to the beloved series again and again. We're glad she did! Some other famous books published in 1915 are Franz Kafta's The Metamorphosis, Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna Grows Up (the sequel to Pollyanna) and John Buchan's The 39 Steps.
#3: It was the last L. M. Montgomery novel published by L. C. Page & Co., Montgomery's original publisher.
While Further Chronicles of Avonlea was published without Montgomery's permission in 1920, Montgomery's original contract with L. C. Page & Co. expired after the publication of Anne of the Island. In 1916, she left Page for the Frederick A. Stokes Company, from New York, and McClelland & Stewart -- then McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart -- from Toronto. It is unfortunately true that when the black-and-white silent film Anne of Green Gables was made in 1919, L. C. Page & Co. received $40,000 for the film rights, but Montgomery received nothing.
#4: It was published, as were 11 out of 22 of Montgomery's novels, while she lived in Leaksdale, Ontario.
Montgomery's husband, Ewan Macdonald, served as minister in the Presbyterian church there, which is where they moved after their honeymoon. In July 1915, however, she was holidaying in Park Corner, Prince Edward Island.
#5: It was originally titled Anne of Redmond, but Montgomery's publisher changed it to Anne of the Island.
Wonder why? Montgomery's publishers seem to have had a history of this -- for Rilla of Ingleside, Montgomery wanted Rilla-My-Rilla or Rilla Blythe instead. Also, Anne of Windy Poplars is Anne of Windy Willows (Montgomery's original title) in the UK and several other countries, and Windy Willows even includes some 'disturbing' scenes cut from the Poplars version!
However, the 'Island' title does make the first three books into a neat little trilogy -- first Green Gables, then Avonlea, then Prince Edward Island -- that shows how Anne's world expands as she grows up.
#6: On a related note, it has been translated into a number of languages ... often with the title changed!
In Czech, it is Splněný sen (lit: Dream Come True); in Finnish, Annan unelmavuodet (lit: Anne's Dream Years); in German, Anne in Kingsport; in Polish, Ania na Uniwersytecie (lit: Anne at the University); in Slovak, Anna v Redmonde (lit: Anne at Redmond); in Swedish, Drömmens uppfyllelse (lit: Fulfilled Dreams); in Ukranian, Енн із Острова Принца Едварда (lit: Anne of Prince Edward Island) ... well, you get the idea.
#7: It is dedicated 'to all the girls all over the world who have "wanted more" about ANNE'.
Considering it had been six years since the last Anne book (not counting Chronicles of Avonlea), this was a nice way for Montgomery to acknowledge her fanbase, which had definitely grown a lot since Anne of Green Gables was first published.
#8: Like many other L. M. Montgomery books, it is prefaced with an epigraph -- a few lines of poetry usually meant to illustrate the book's theme. Anne of the Island's epigraph is from 'The Day-Dream', by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
All precious things discovered late
To those that seek them issue forth,
For Love in sequel works with Fate,
And draws the veil from hidden worth.
—TENNYSON
#9: Like Anne of Green Gables, it contains a major character death that has a huge impact on Anne's character.
(Spoilers!) Although minor characters die relatively frequently, and without much fanfare (Thomas Lynde, Timothy Cotton, Teddy Armstrong -- discounting Before Green Gables -- major, impacting deaths only occur about every second book (Matthew in Anne of Green Gables, Ruby Gillis in Anne of the Island, Joyce Blythe and/or Captain Jim in Anne's House of Dreams and Walter Blythe in Rilla of Ingleside), and each serves a specific purpose to developing the main character.
Matthew's death is the first death of someone close to her that Anne experiences. Joyce's death is the blight on Anne and Gilbert's happiness that sweeps away the barriers between Anne and Leslie. Walter is killed instantly at Courcelette after going 'over the top'; his death adds realism and tragedy to Rilla's tale as she learns to deal with such situations over the course of the book. But Ruby's death, occurring halfway through Anne of the Island, reminds Anne sharply of her own mortality, and raises of the question of how much meaning we should attach to life's little pleasures when we can take nothing away with us when we leave this world. It's a turning point, a deeply poignant chapter that I find myself returning to again and again.
#10: It has been adapted for film, TV and stage a total of three times.
These adaptations are the 1975 BBC TV series Anne of Avonlea (episodes 5 and 6), Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (a 1987 miniseries) and Anne & Gilbert (a 2005 stage musical). Also, Season 2 of Green Gables Fables will also be based on Anne of the Island. Yay!
Well, I hope you found that interesting. (Translation: Anne of the Island is my favourite book in the series, and you'd better love it as much as I do!) Also, don't forget to check out our Facebook page to see Anne of the Island #BookCoveroftheDay pictures added, and keep up to date on what's going on.