Anne of Green Gables: the transformation from Bildungsroman to romantic comedy

  • LaurenBeth Signore Hollins University

Abstract

Anne of Green Gables tells a story of an adolescent and her gradual maturation into a young woman. In effect, Montgomery writes a Bildungsroman: a novel of maturation. Montgomery's Anne develops into a young woman who identifies with not only Matthew and Marilla, but also with all the other kindred spirits of Avonlea. As the novel progresses, Anne becomes part of the very same community that at one time did not want to embrace a little orphan girl. In Kevin Sullivan's Anne of Green Gables, a 1985 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBS) miniseries, the focus is not strictly on the formation of Anne from girl to young woman, but rather Anne's overly romantic notions on her vision of love. Sullivan's commentary adaptation exaggerates the roles of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poetic works and Gilbert Blythe's role of suitor to fulfill Anne's desire to have romance in her life. As a result, Montgomery's story of Anne as a Bildungsroman transforms to the screen as Sullivan's romantic comedy.

Author Biography

LaurenBeth Signore, Hollins University
LaurenBeth Signore is a graduate student in the Children's Literature program at Hollins University. Her scholarly interests in children's literature include the portrayal of war and oppression specifically within the context of the Holocaust. She also enjoys reading and studying Arthurian influenced young adult literature. Ms. Signore resides in Washington, D.C. and is a seventh grade English teacher at Forest Oak Middle School in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Published
2007-12-04
Section
Emerging Voices