On Writing Techniques Of Anne Of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is the first novel of"Anne Series"by outstanding Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery. In vivid and lighthearted language, the writer tells the story about Anne, a freckled and imaginative red-haired girl who is adopted by Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla who live in Green Gables of Prince Edward Island in Canada. The Cuthberts want to adopt a boy from the asylum, but by mistake Anne is sent to them. In face of all the hardships in life, Anne relieves her loneliness with romantic imagination and overcomes difficulties with optimistic attitude. Finally, with her love for life and sincere character, Anne establishes eternal friendship with other children and changes the people around her. The characterization of Anne and the description of changes in characters'emotion make the story interesting and absorbing. And Anne, the kind and optimistic girl who has a strong love for nature, is remarked as"the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice"by Mark Twain. Little Anne has become a symbol of Prince Edward Island and Canadian culture. Readers are deeply moved by Montgomery's love for native land and poetic depiction of nature and rural life. They are also impressed by the uneven narrative strategies and humorous language in the novel. As a work cuts across the boundaries between popular literature and classic literature, the novel has been translated into different languages and sold more than fifty million copies since its publication in 1908. Anne also goes beyond the paper medium to screens and stage in Canada as well as other countries. For more than one hundred years, people's love for Anne never declines.In the past century, the researches and criticisms on Anne of Green Gables went through big changes. When the novel was published, Canada was in enormous favor of rural literature. Anne of Green Gables received favorable comments for its rural setting and vivid description of Canadian people's life. It was even remarked as"unparalleled Canadian novel". But in the following decades, as a work of children's literature, Anne of Green Gables was neglected by critics. Some people held that Montgomery succeeded by accident. Others even excluded her out of classic literature for its popularity and feminist characteristic. With the lapse of time, especially with the rising of feminism, there was a big change in people's aesthetic standards. Once again, critics focused their attention on Montgomery's novels. In The Clear Spirit: Twenty Canadian Women and Their Times published in 1966, Elizabeth Waterston speaks highly of Montgomery and the values of her works. In the last decades of the twentieth century, the writer and her works were under review by many critics in the aspects of feminism, education and religion. Anne of Green Gables gradually gained acceptance from literary critics. After appearance of Anne in the film, Montgomery and her works aroused great enthusiasm from people around the world. There were many art works related to Anne. Anne and Montgomery once again became the symbol of popular culture. Lucy Maud Montgomery was voted the most influential Canadian writer and one of twenty-five Canadians who inspired the world. Anne of Green Gables is regarded as one of the classic works of Canadian literature that creates"the most lasting and popular cultural phenomenon in Canada"and gains more and more attention from the world.Up to now, the research of Anne of Green Gables is mainly on its feminism, education and religion. There are few comments on its writing techniques of children's literature. On the basis of existed research, this thesis is trying to analyze the novel in different aspects, with the hope of probing into the writing techniques adopted in children's literature and its effect, thus providing readers a new access to a better understanding of this novel. This thesis consists of five parts: introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. In introduction, the author makes a summary of Montgomery's life, her literary achievements and give a brief introduction to the plot of the novel. Chapter two to chapter four make up the main part of the thesis, in which there is a detailed analysis of the novel concerning its archetypal characterization, romantic landscape description, visualized narrative perspective and diversified language style. The fifth part is a conclusion that sums up the most outstanding writing techniques adopted in Anne of Green Gables and point out their significance in deepening the themes of the novel. Finally, by analyzing the values of Anne of Green Gables as a great work of children's literature, the author puts emphasis on the important position of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her work in the world of children's literature.