Chronicles of Avonlea
| Chronicles of Avonlea | |
|---|---|
 First US edition | |
| Author | Lucy Maud Montgomery |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | Anne of Green Gables |
| Genre | Short stories |
| Publisher |
McClelland & Stewart (Canada) L.C. Page (US) |
Publication date | 1912 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 236 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | Further Chronicles of Avonlea |
Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L. M. Montgomery, related to the Anne of Green Gables series. It features an abundance of stories relating to the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea, and was first published in 1912. Sometimes marketed as a book in the Anne Shirley series, Anne plays only a minor role in the book: out of the 12 stories in the collection, she stars in only one ("The Hurrying of Ludovic"), and has a small supporting role in another ("The Courting of Prissy Strong"). She is otherwise only briefly mentioned in passing in five other stories: "Each in His Own Tongue", '"Little Joscelyn"', "The Winning of Lucinda", '"Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's" and "The End of a Quarrel".
Other Avonlea residents from the Anne series are also referenced in passing, including Marilla Cuthbert and Mrs. Rachel Lynde. The Penhallows from "The Winning Of Lucinda" would be mentioned later in Anne of the Island. As well, there are brief appearances made by Diana Barry, the Reverend Mr. Allan, and his wife. The majority of stories, though, are about residents of Avonlea (and surrounding towns) who are never mentioned in the Anne novels. One reason for this is that most of the short stories in this volume were written and published by Montgomery in various magazines before Anne of Green Gables was even conceived. With the great success of Anne of Green Gables in 1908 and the sequel Anne of Avonlea in 1909, Montgomery was under pressure from her publisher to deliver more stories about Anne. Accordingly, she reworked the settings of several previously published non-Avonlea stories to incorporate references to Avonlea, as well as inserting several references to Anne Shirley and some of the town's other characters. The whole was then marketed as a new companion book to the Anne series.
The book is dedicated: "To the memory of MRS WILLIAM A. HOUSTON, a dear friend who has gone beyond."
Stories
- "The Hurrying of Ludovic", in which Anne Shirley manages the proposal of Ludovic Speed to Theodora Dix after a courtship lasting many years.
- "Old Lady Lloyd", which follows Old Lady Lloyd, who is thought to be very rich. She encounters the daughter of her former beau and endeavours to help her.
- "Each in His Own Tongue", in which the Reverend Stephen Leonard attempts to stifle his son Felix's gifted violin-playing, which he sees as unholy.
- "Little Joscelyn", in which Aunty Nan hears of Joscelyn Burnett's return to Prince Edward Island and greatly desires to hear her old friend sing.
- "The Winning of Lucinda", in which a long-time feud between Lucinda and Romney Penhallow is resolved.
- "Old Man Shaw's Girl", in which Mrs Peter Blewett attempts to destroy Old Man Shaw's hopes regarding the return of his beloved daughter Sara ("Blossom").
- "Aunt Olivia's Beau", which details the courting of Olivia Sterling by Mr Malcolm MacPherson.
- "Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's", in which Angelina "Peter" MacPherson, a marked man-hater, is quarantined for smallpox with Alexander Abraham Bennett, a misogynist who has not allowed a woman in his house for many years.
- "Pa Sloane's Purchase", in which Pa Sloane rashly buys a baby at an auction, and has to deal with the consequences.
- "The Courting of Prissy Strong", which details Stephen Clark's courting of Prissy Strong, despite strong opposition from the latter's sister Emmeline.
- "The Miracle at Carmody", in which avowed atheist Judith Marsh and her sister Salome attempt to raise the young Lionel Hezekiah.
- "The End of a Quarrel", in which Nancy Rogerson and Peter Wright meet, many years after a quarrel relating to the latter's grammar.
Sequels and adaptations
Chronicles of Avonlea was followed, in 1920, by Further Chronicles of Avonlea, which also dealt with numerous families from the fictional Avonlea district. Some of its stories were used as a base for the successful television series Road to Avonlea.
Series
Montgomery continued the story of Anne Shirley in a series of sequels. They are listed in the order of Anne's age in each novel.
| # | Book | Date published | Anne Shirley's age |
| 1 | Anne of Green Gables | 1908 | 11 — 16 |
| 2 | Anne of Avonlea | 1909 | 16 — 18 |
| 3 | Anne of the Island | 1915 | 18 — 22 |
| 4 | Anne of Windy Poplars | 1936 | 22 — 25 |
| 5 | Anne's House of Dreams | 1917 | 25 — 27 |
| 6 | Anne of Ingleside | 1939 | 34 — 40 |
| 7 | Rainbow Valley | 1919 | 41 |
| 8 | Rilla of Ingleside | 1921 | 49 — 53 |
| # | Book | Date published | Anne Shirley's age |
| — | Chronicles of Avonlea | 1912 | — |
| — | Further Chronicles of Avonlea | 1920 | — |
| — | The Blythes Are Quoted | 2009 | — |
References
- Chronicles of Avonlea, available freely at Project Gutenberg.
External links
- Chronicles of Avonlea HTML at Celebration of Women Writers
- The Anne Shirley Homepage - A great resource for all Anne fans with galleries, fan art, timelines, recipes and calendars.
- An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page - excellent resource on L.M. Montgomery and her novels
- The L.M. Montgomery Research Group This scholarly site includes a blog, an extensive bibliography of reference materials, and a complete filmography of all adaptations of Montgomery texts.
- The L.M. Montgomery Literary Society This site includes information about Montgomery's works and life and research from the newsletter, The Shining Scroll.
- Chronicles of Avonlea An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page
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