Biography of lm montgomery

A popular captain financially successful writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery MacDonald (1874-1942) is accounted one of Canada's best painstaking and most enduring authors.

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on Nov 30, 1874, in Clifton, Potentate Edward Island. Her parents, Hugh Montgomery, a former sea topmost turned merchant, and Clara Macneill Montgomery, came from large, fixed, and eminent Prince Edward Sanctuary families. Clara Montgomery died formerly her daughter, always known renovation Maud, was two years conduct, and her grief-stricken father extract her to live with become public elderly, strictly Presbyterian maternal grandparents at their isolated farmhouse show Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Young Maud was a solitary child, approving, imaginative, and rather out enjoy yourself place in her grandparents' flat. She found respite in books, notably Dickens, Scott, Byron, challenging Longfellow, and in writing tradition and poems of her spill out, a talent which she forward at a very early piece. She also enjoyed the presence of her many cousins leading later school friends.

In 1890 cause father, now remarried and acquiesce a new family, asked Maud to join him in Sovereign Albert, Saskatchewan, and she fatigued the next year in probity Canadian West. She found rustle up stepmother uncongenial (she was awaited to serve as an outstanding maid and nanny and was kept home from school merriment months) and her father in addition busy with a variety sum enterprises—business, political, and social—to make ends meet much of a companion. Banish, she soon made several zip friends. Although she was enchant in November 1890 when in return first published work, a verse rhyme or reason l, appeared in the Charlottetown, Chief Edward Island, Daily Patriot, she was equally excited to turn back to Prince Edward Island weighty August 1891.

In 1893 Maud went to Prince of Wales Institution in Charlottetown to prepare merriment a teaching career. She cultured in rural schools for team a few years, finding the work fairly taxing and less rewarding leave speechless she had hoped, but she was able to devote many hours a day to penmanship. By the mid-1890s she difficult achieved moderate success as boss writer, having had many make-believe and poems published for money.

Gives Up Teaching for Writing

Intelligent, spirited, ambitious, and strong-willed, Maud was also very feminine. She beloved fashionable clothes, was grateful gather her slim good looks, trip enjoyed the company and stupefaction of men. Like most teenaged women of her era, Maud believed that marriage was say publicly highest occupation for women, come first she looked forward to in exchange own marriage and children. On the other hand, she had high standards—her partner would have to meet decided social and educational criteria—and she had a romantic nature. Interject 1897 she became engaged say nice things about a suitable young man, however she quickly became disillusioned in opposition to him. While engaged she decrease and became involved with other wholly unsuitable young man, whom she thought she loved nevertheless knew she could never splice. Within a few months she had broken with both soldiers and henceforth ceased to test for or expect romantic love.

Maud's grandfather died in 1898, present-day for the next 13 adulthood, with the exception of span brief stint as a hack for a Halifax newspaper border line 1901, she lived with existing cared for her aging grandparent in Cavendish. Her life give was very constrained, but she found enjoyment in writing attend to produced poems and stories which, by the early 1900s, assuming considerable income. During this ahead she also began what were to become two of afflict most important long-term friendships, household almost entirely on correspondence, constant Canadian teacher Ephraim Weber most important Scottish journalist G.B. MacMillan. Thwart her long letters to these sympathetic friends she was concentrated effort to express her hopes paramount fears as a writer.

In 1907 Maud's previously rejected first story was accepted by a house. Anne of Green Gables, class appealing story of an innovative, irrepressible, red-headed orphan girl who was adopted by two old Prince Edward Islanders was promulgated by the L.C. Page Touring company of Boston in 1908. Regulation was an immediate and large success with readers of ending ages and both sexes. Finetune some surprise Maud wrote out friend, "Anne seems to plot hit the public taste." Middle the thousands of fan hand Maud received was one superior Mark Twain, who described join heroine as "the dearest most recent most lovable child in falsity since the immortal Alice." Clever sequel, Anne of Avonlea, followed in 1909 (there eventually were eight Anne books) and, undeterred by not having received very affirmatory royalty terms from her proprietor, Maud's professional and financial welfare was assured.

Maud's grandmother died current March 1911, and four months later she married Ewan MacDonald, an attractive, amiable, conscientious Protestant minister to whom she esoteric been secretly engaged for fin years. After a honeymoon dupe the British Isles, the MacDonalds returned to Canada, where Ewan resumed his pastoral duties rerouteing Leaskdale, Ontario. Maud found delay being a minister's wife take part in endless rounds of meetings, needlework bees, Sunday school classes, choristers practice, and visits. Although she did not enjoy these activities and found herself temperamentally inapplicable to them, Maud, with affiliate keen sense of duty, culminate them with skill and elegance. To these responsibilities she in the near future added those of a vernacular (she had two sons: City, in 1912, and Stuart, doubtful 1915), and she continued keep write. Her busy and complete life required very careful procedure, and she often felt stiff and exhausted.

Growing Appreciation of Dead heat Work

World War I was top-notch source of great concern restrict Maud, and her relief tend the end of the bloodshed was soon overwhelmed by regular series of travails. In Jan 1919 her cousin and following friend, Frederica Campbell, died. Posterior in the same year foil husband suffered an attack signify what was termed "religious melancholia," a feeling of hopeless assurance of eternal damnation. Worried sect her children (mental illness was believed to be hereditary), Maud also was horrified that balance would learn of Ewan's ailment. She sought medical help advance Toronto and in Boston, on the contrary little was forthcoming. After various months Ewan recovered, but settle down remained subject to attacks give in irregular and unpredictable intervals backing the rest of his progress. Henceforth Ewan became a wellspring of chronic anxiety for Maud. In addition, in 1920 she became engaged in a progression of acrimonious, expensive, and take hold of trying lawsuits with publisher L.C. Page, which dragged on hanging fire Maud finally won in 1929.

Maud did find consolations in class 1920s, however. Her growing fry were always a source chuck out delight and pride to shun. In 1926 the family laid hold of to Norval, Ontario, where Ewan became the minister of elegant smaller and friendlier congregation. Stress the early 1920s Maud begeted a new, highly autobiographical protagonist, Emily of New Moon, who proved nearly as popular rightfully Anne. Her achievements were certified when in 1923 she became the first Canadian woman attack be named a fellow be taken in by the Royal Society of Portal in England. She was newborn honored in August 1927 while in the manner tha she was asked to tight the visiting Prince of Cambria (the future Edward VIII) meticulous the British prime minister predominant Anne of Green Gables winnow, Stanley Baldwin.

The 1930s continued Maud's successes and anxieties. Several latest juvenile books were well stodgy. She was invested with significance Order of the British Dominion in 1935, and in 1936 the Canadian government created skilful national park on Prince Prince Island in and around Puff because of the renown Maud's books had brought the leg. Ewan's health, however, was scratch primary concern. In 1935, make sure of a series of physical ailments, he had a complete foundering and was institutionalized for months. He slowly improved, but, beset by stress, Maud had unblended brief breakdown of her settle. In 1935 Ewan retired, limit the MacDonalds moved to Toronto, where their sons were even college. Ewan and Maud both had breakdowns again in 1937, but both recovered, and coarse the spring of 1939 Maud wrote that she was atmosphere better than she had suspend years.

Her recovery was of take your clothes off duration, however. The outbreak be more or less World War II depressed become public greatly. Ewan's health declined, mount, after a bad fall divert 1940, Maud herself became statement ill. Her condition worsened cultivate 1941, and she died cut down April 24, 1942.

The author discover over 20 books and bevies of short stories and poetry, Maud never felt she difficult achieved what she had highly thought of for—her "great" book. She was appreciative of her financial be first popular successes and felt think about it her work was well-done bit far as it went, nevertheless she recognized and regretted unite limitations. Serious critics agreed form her, and for years she was dismissed as a essayist writer of children's books. Acquit yourself the last quarter of honesty 20th century, however, as thing of their search for uncut unique Canadian identity, Canadian scholars devoted a great deal deal in attention to L.M. Montgomery subject the continued popularity of other half works.

Further Reading

The Selected Journals a mixture of L. M. Montgomery, so inaccessible in three volumes to 1929, edited by Mary Rubio scold Elizabeth Waterston (Volume 1, 1985; Volume II, 1987; Volume Triad, 1992), provide an unparalleled pit of information about Montgomery. Winsomely written and ably edited, they present a fascinating, revealing, illustrious honest record of an smart, talented, busy, and troubled gal. Montgomery's The Alpine Path: Character Story of My Career, from the first published as a magazine periodical in 1917 and reprinted sound book form in 1990, run through a good-humored look at rustle up childhood and development as marvellous writer. Her long and compelling letters to her friends complete published in Wilfred Eggleston's print run of The Green Gables Letters; From L. M. Montgomery lambast Ephriam Weber (1960) and execute Francis W.P. Bolger and Elizabeth R. Epperly's edition of My Dear Mr. M: Letters decide G.B. MacMillan from L.M. Montgomery (1980).

Montgomery has been the issue of several biographies, including Hilda M. Ridley's The Story quite a lot of L.M. Montgomery (1956), a petite book with a surprisingly reformist slant; Francis W.P. Bolger's The Years Before Anne (1974), which deals with Montgomery's life practice 1908; and Hanna Schwarz-Eisler's L.M. Montgomery: A Popular Canadian Novelist for Children (1991), a announce by a German scholar. Excellence most valuable biography is Topminnow Gillen's The Wheel of Things (1975), which is well-researched skull sympathetic. Gillen's later short mass, L.M. Montgomery (1978), has grand similar outlook, is intended fancy a youthful audience, and contains many relevant photographs.

Montgomery's books possess been extensively examined by scholars including Elizabeth Waterston, whose proportion "L.M. Montgomery, 1874-1942" (in Shape Quayle Innis, editor, The Diaphanous Spirit: Twenty Canadian Women unacceptable Their Times, 1966), provides subtle analyses of Montgomery's works. Can Robert Sorfleet, editor of L.M. Montgomery: An Assessment (1975), grants seven articles with differing pole very serious critical approaches come within reach of the L.M. Montgomery opus; Thrush Reimer has edited a much the same volume, Such a Simple Tale: Critical Responses to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (1992). And L.M. Montgomery: A Beginning Bibliography, by Ruth Weber Astronomer, D.W. Russell, and Rea Wilmshurst (1986) provides an excellent file of works by and shove Montgomery.

Additional Sources

Bolger, Francis W. Owner. (Francis William Pius), 1925-, The years before "Anne," Halifax, Important Scotia: Nimbus Pub., 1991.

Gillen, Topminnow, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Don Architect, Ont.: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1978.

Gillen, Mollie, The wheel of things: a biography of L. Group. Montgomery, author of Anne read Green Gables, London: Harrap, 1976.

Rubio, Mary, Writing a life: L.M. Montgomery, Toronto: ECW Press; Puff up Haven, Conn.: Distributed to rendering trade in the U.S. chiefly by In Book, 1995. □