75 Interesting Anne Of Green Gables Facts You May Not Know

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Jan 25, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Dec 15, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Fact-checked by Pradhanya Rao
'Anne of Green Gables' facts are interesting to read along with family.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.6 Min

'Anne of Green Gables' is a children's novel written in 1908 by Lucy Maud Montgomery and is a classic children's novel that is read all over the world.

The author L. M. Montgomery wrote more than 20 novels, many of which are still loved by children. Her most popular novel since the mid 20th century involves the character of a lovely young girl, Anne Shirley, and her adventures in Prince Edward Island.

Born on November 30, 1874, in Canada, Montgomery was raised by her grandparents. After facing several rejections while publishing her first novel, 'Anne of Green Gables' achieved instant fame after the Page Company of Boston agreed to publish it.

More than 19000 copies were sold just within five months. Its first translation into Swedish took place in early 1909, after which it was translated into 36 languages. Nearly 50 million copies of this amazing novel are sold globally.

This novel is a registered trademark and is jointly owned by the successors of Montgomery and the province of Prince Edward Island. Apart from this, the author's family also receives a hefty amount from the producers of Anne-related products and royalty from other Anne items.

The musical version of 'Anne of Green Gables' took place for the first time in 1965. It was held in the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.

This musical holds a Guinness World record for being the longest-running annual musical. Many people cherished the musical in Charlottetown, including spectators from New York, Japan, and London.

The lead role of Anne Shirley was performed by several actresses since the year 1965. 'Emily of New Moon', 'Pat of Silver Bush', 'Jane of Lantern Hill', 'The Story Girl', and 'The Blue Castle' were some of the other best-selling books written by Montgomery.

Are you enjoying the read? Then don't forget to check out Antonio Novello facts and Antonin Artaud facts here on Kidadl.

'Anne Of Green Gables' Summary

The story revolves around an eleven-year-old orphan girl named Anne Shirley from the town of Nova Scotia, Canada. The two unmarried siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert wanted to adopt a boy from the orphanage who would help them out in running the farm at Green Gables.

It was a farm in the fictional town of Avonlea. Instead, the elderly couple received Anne from the orphanage due to a misunderstanding.

The author portrayed the character of Anne as a dramatic and adamant girl who is full of imagination and bears a pleasing demeanor. She is particular about her name being spelled right and is also quite defensive about her looks.

She hates her exotic red hair, freckles, and her thin stature but loves her nose. This chatty girl shares her dreams and fantasies with everyone, due to which Matthew and Marilla, who initially opposed, later consider letting her stay with them.

Anne is known for her jolly nature, which soon cheers up the whole Green Gables. The story narrates the struggles of her settling in the new village, which she calls her first real home.

She thrives well in her new school and makes many new friends, especially the girl living next door, Diana Barry, who is Anne's closest friend. We also come to know about her rival, Gilbert Blythe, who makes constant fun of her red hair.

The story also unravels the adventures of Anne in the fictional town of Avonlea and her play dates with her best friends. She also describes in a comical way about her association with the unfriendly Pye sisters and the small domestic accidents she and her friend Diana faced.

Anne is thought to suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) which is the most common developmental disorder in children.

Later at the age of sixteen, Anne, along with many of her friends, excluding Diana, goes to the Queen's Academy to get a teaching degree. She succeeds in getting her license in just one year and proudly accepts the Avery Scholarship after being the topper in English.

She dreams of getting into the fictional Redmond College and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with the scholarship's assistance!

However, tragedy hits Anne's life after the sudden death of Matthew. Apparently, he loses all his money and becomes bankrupt, as a result of which he suffers from a massive heart attack.

In order to help Marilla, who has weakened eyesight, Anne decides to give up her scholarship and engages herself as a teacher in the nearby Carmody school. At the end of the story, the readers get to witness the start of an amazing friendship between Anne and Gilbert Blythe.

'Anne of Green Gables' is without a doubt one of the best children's novels read globally.

When was 'Anne Of Green Gables' written?

'Anne of Green Gables' was written by L. M. Montgomery in 1907 and was originally published in 1908. It became a massive hit in the mid 20th century and is still taught in several schools worldwide.

Japanese culture considers this story as an important part of the children's education. At present, Japan hosts the national 'fanne' clubs, the Anne Academy, as well as a nursing school with the nickname 'The Green Gables School of Nursing', which has a sister school in Prince Edward Island.

The famous Japanese translator, Hanako Muraoka, received a copy of this story as a gift from the missionary Miss Shaw who left Japan.

Muraoka later translated the story into Japanese and named it 'Akage No An'.

After the Second World War ended, she published the book in order to add it to Japan's western literature section. The book sold at the end of the World War became one of the most important literature books in Japan.

The first musical show on this novel gained immense popularity, and the lyrics were composed by Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore. Matte O'Brien and Matt Vinson recently launched a folk-rock production on this novel. L.

M. Montgomery was selected in 1935 to the Order of the British Empire and also the Literary and Artistic Institute in France. The first feature film based on this novel was directed by William Desmond Taylor in 1919 and was a silent film.

The author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, opted for several pen names like Joyce Cavendish before revealing her original identity. She was named Lucy after her grandmother.

She suffered from acute depression due to several issues, including the legal battles with the publishers and other family matters.

In fact, she lost the ability to write owing to old age, which was revealed recently in an interview with her granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler. The Canadian author passed away at the age of 67 after writing sequels of Anne and plenty of other books.

'Anne Of Green Gables' Genre

'Anne of Green Gables' book is a fictional novel that gained immense fame as one of the best-selling children's books.

Although it is not a true story, the author expressed her own self through the protagonist and penned down her imaginations. Montgomery got the idea of her fictional character Anne after she came across an old journal, which had an entry written many years ago.

This entry mentioned an elderly couple who wanted to adopt a boy from the orphan asylum, and instead, they received a girl.

'Anne Of Green Gables' Series

Montgomery wrote several Anne books, including the Anne sequels: 'Anne of Windy Poplars' (1936) and 'Anne of Ingleside' (1939). Along with the famous Anne series, she invented another character, Emily, at the same time and wrote three Emily books.

Green Gables in Prince Edward Island is an extremely popular tourist destination. The effect of the novel attracts more than 125,000 people at the L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site every year. Plenty of visitors cherish the relaxing carriage rides by the Lake of Shining Waters.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Anne of Green Gables', then why not take a look atAntoninus Pius facts, or Antonio Banderas facts?

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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Fact-checked by Pradhanya Rao

Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR

Pradhanya Rao picture

Pradhanya RaoBachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR

With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Christ University, Bangalore, Pradhanya's passion for the English language and literature led her to explore the field of content writing, where she has gained extensive experience in writing, reviewing, editing, and fact-checking. She has also earned certifications in Google Ads Search, Google Ads Display, and Social Media Marketing, showcasing her proficiency in digital marketing.

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