Thread by @lainasparetime

Let's do a bit of an early Anne thread today before I get completely distracted by work lol. #LainaReadsAnne

#LainaReadsAnne It's now November and Marilla and Anne are spending a quiet evening together. Anne was reading, but is now just daydreaming about adventures in Spain that *don't* end in mishap.

#LainaReadsAnne Interesting linguistic note - Anne is described as sitting "Turk-fashion" which is a term I hadn't heard before for sitting crossing-legged/crisscross applesauce. Obviously not a great term to use these days but I hadn't heard that one before.

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla notes her eyes are getting tired and that she'll have to have her glasses changed as her eyes are getting tired a lot lately.

#LainaReadsAnne She looks over at Anne and thinks about how much she's grown to love Anne. It's nothing she would ever say out loud, but the soft firelight allows her a moment of tenderness.

Ugh, I love this scene so much. Soft moments in soft lighting are my fave.

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla worries she loves Anne too much and so she's stricter and more critical than if she loved her less fiercely. For her part, Anne doesn't always realize how Marilla feels and thinks it can be hard to live up to her expectations, but always wants to.

#LainaReadsAnne That's something to really look for in adaptations, actually. Anne is affectionate to Marilla and Matthew, but she's also incredibly grateful for all they've done for her and never forgets that - and she respects them so much.

#LainaReadsAnne Miss Stacy came by earlier, Marilla says suddenly, and Anne startles and then goes off into a ramble for about a page, because even though she's getting older, she's still Anne and that happens sometimes still lol.

#LainaReadsAnne Point to, "Diana and I are thinking seriously of promising each other that we will never marry, but be nice old maids and live together for ever."

I mean. Come on.

#LainaReadsAnne She eventually gets around to asking why Miss Stacy came by, but before Marilla can answer, she confesses she got caught reading Ben-Hur in class yesterday.

Marilla's like, "That wasn't it, but also thanks for the confession and don't read in class."

#LainaReadsAnne Apparently when Marilla was a little girl, she wasn't allowed to read novels at all. That's so sad, oh my gosh. Poor little Marilla.

#LainaReadsAnne Eventually Anne lets Marilla get a word in edgewise and she says Miss Stacy came to ask if Marilla and Matthew would like Anne to join a class of advanced scholars who would like to study for the Queen's Academy entrance examination.

#LainaReadsAnne She asks if Anne would like to be a teacher and Anne says she would love to and would find it a great honour - but Mr Andrews says it cost him $150 to put Prissy through Queen's.

Remember, 10 dollars was like 300 today. That's probably at least three grand.

#LainaReadsAnne Three thousand dollars is no small amount of money for two older people living on a small farm, honestly.

#LainaReadsAnne But Marilla tells her not to worry, because she and Matthew promised "we would do the best we could for you and give you a good education". And we saw this was true even before they knew they were getting Anne!

#LainaReadsAnne This is really a sticking point for me. Even if they hadn't gotten Anne, the boy they would have gotten would have had a good home with them and a good education, probably a whole lot better than he would have gotten otherwise.

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla also says, "I believe in a girl being fitted to earn her own living whether she ever has to or not".

Heck yeah feminist Marilla!! Frankly that's more than some people expect of girls now. I approve of this.

#LainaReadsAnne I also legit almost cried at this part. Marilla says, "You'll always have a home at Green Gables as long as Matthew and I are here, but nobody knows what is going to happen in this uncertain world, and it's just as wel to be prepared."

#LainaReadsAnne Like, having a home like this is all Anne ever wanted and can you just imagine how much this means to her? To have her deepest, most heartfelt dream come true and in such a beautiful, loving way?

*sniffle*

#LainaReadsAnne Bit of theorizing here - Montgomery's grandfather died a few years before she wrote this, and she was living with her grandmother, who died just three years after Anne was published.

#LainaReadsAnne She was also secretly engaged to the man she would later marry, and had been since 1906. I think my theory that the Allans are a rather idealized version of how she hoped her married life would be holds weight.

#LainaReadsAnne This must have been a rather lonely time in her life. She was supporting them with her writing, which is great obviously but writing is not a social career.

#LainaReadsAnne As well, I think Marilla's statement reflect something Montgomery wanted, a feeling of always having a home to return to. Though she moved home to live with her grandmother after her grandfather's death, I don't get a sense it was out of deep love.

#LainaReadsAnne Things I've read have described Montgomery's grandmother as "more sympathetic" than her grandfather, but that's not exactly how I would describe a very close relationship.

#LainaReadsAnne For the record, I do plan on reading more on Montgomery's life, but that'll be later. I don't want to read about, say, her creative process of writing something before I actually read it and colour my opinion on it. So we have speculation for now on most things.

#LainaReadsAnne Obviously I've done some research and I know facts and whatnot, but getting into Montgomery's writings about her life and stuff will come later in this project.

#LainaReadsAnne Back to the scen at hand. Anne hugs Marilla tight and promises to try and make them proud, and Marilla tells her that Miss Stacy says Anne is "bright and diligent". Miss Stacy apparently said more than that, too, but Marilla wouldn't "pamper vanity" like that.

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla's not quick to praise Anne herself, for fear of giving her a big head, but boy is she proud when someone talks about Anne and praises her.

#LainaReadsAnne It'll still be a year and a half before Anne will be ready to try to take the entrance exam, though.

The new Queen's class consists of Anne, Gilbert Blythe, Ruby Gillis, Jane Andrews, Josie Pye, Charlie Sloane and Moody Spurgeon MacPherson.

#LainaReadsAnne Diana's parents don't intend to send her to Queen's. Rude. Can we get Aunt Josephine on that? That seems like something Aunt Josephine would disagree with.

#LainaReadsAnne Poor Anne is taking that hard. The Queen's class meets for an hour after school for extra lessons and it's the first time since Minnie May's croup she and Diana have been apart for anything.

#LainaReadsAnne She's comforted by a Mrs Rachel saying, though, "we can't have things perfect in this imperfect world", and says "Mrs Lynde isn't exactly a comforting person sometimes, but there's no doubt she says a great many very true things."

Honestly that's not untrue lol.

#LainaReadsAnne It also helps that she thinks the class and work will be very interesting, and looks forward to the learning.

Also we still have like three and a half pages of notes so I'm going to take a little break to get a new cup of tea and maybe a snack.

#LainaReadsAnne Okay, I've had some lunch so let's talk career aspirations. Jane and Ruby are going to be teachers, too. Ruby, however, says she'll only teach for two years and then she plans on getting married.

#LainaReadsAnne Jane plans on never marrying "because you are paid a salary for teaching, but a husband won't pay you anything, and growls if you ask for a share in the egg and butter money".

No joke, are you okay, Jane?

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel says Jane's father "is a perfect old crank, and meaner than second skimmings". "Mean" here would, well, mean cheap, essentially, not cruel, but... I suspect he's both.

If any adaptation makes him abusive, there's definitely basis here tbh

#LainaReadsAnne Anyways, that disturbing thought aside, Josie Pye meanwhile is "just going to college for education's sake, because she won't have to earn her own living; she says of course it is different with orphans who are living on charity - *they* have to hustle".

#LainaReadsAnne (Asterisks = italics.)

Honestly fuck you, Josie Pye.

#LainaReadsAnne You know what, we're making a note of that for adaptations. Josie Pye is MEAN and she's mean specifically about Anne being an orphan.

#LainaReadsAnne Moody Spurgeon is going to be a minister. "Mrs Lynde says he couldn't be anything else with a name like that to live up to."

I mean. I'm just going to let that stand on its own. Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, though.

#LainaReadsAnne Charlie Sloane wants to be a member of Parliment. Mrs Rachel says the Sloanes are all "honest people" and "it's only rascals that get on in politics nowadays".

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla asks about Gilbert and Anne claims not to know what Gilbert's ambitions in life are - if he even has any, which she doubts.

Apparently the rivalry between Ann and Gilbert has become an open one that's no longer one-sided.

#LainaReadsAnne Gilbert's just as determined to be first in class as Anne now.

The others are like, "We're just gonna stay out of this," lol. Smart.

#LainaReadsAnne Since the pond incident, Gilbert has been steadfastly ignoring Anne - and she finds she does not like this taste of her own medicine. Now remember, she spent 2 years pretending he didn't exist, but when she does the same, she's not happy at all.

#LainaReadsAnne Slowly she begins to realize she's not angry at him anymore and regrets not forgiving him that day at the pond. She's too stubborn to eat crow, though, and resolved not to let anyone, not even Diana, realize her true feelings and how sorry she is.

#LainaReadsAnne She does this so well that Gilbert "who possibly was not quite so indifferent as he seemed" doubts she even notices he's ignoring her. He's just glad Anne's still snubbing Charlie Sloane lol.

#LainaReadsAnne Winter passes in a paragraph of lessons and books and Sunday-school choir and Saturday afternoon with Mrs Allan, and then it's spring again. That was fast.

Around here, time begins to pass in the book rather quickly. My timeline will be handy.

#LainaReadsAnne Seriously though that was like 6 months in a paragraph. Montgomery leaves a LOT of room for adaptations to play with expanding in these parts.

#LainaReadsAnne The students do struggle a little then, as we know how spring in Avonlea is, and who wouldn't want to be outside in that, but when the term ends for summer, Miss Stacy expresses how proud she is of them all for their hard work.

#LainaReadsAnne Next year will be their last year before the entrance exam - interesting note, it's really not by age, but ability. Remember, Gilbert is over fifteen now and Anne is just turned fourteen.

#LainaReadsAnne Josie Pye asks if Miss Stacy will return next year as there's been rumours "she had been offered a position in the graded school of her own home district".

I'm fascinated by the education in this book.

#LainaReadsAnne Like Avonlea has a one-room schoolhouse but we know Anne's father taught at a high school. So interesting.

They're all very grateful to hear Miss Stacy will be returning, especially Anne.

#LainaReadsAnne Gosh a lot happens in this chapter. I think the last time I had this many pages of notes, I had to research and explain diphtheria.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne locks all her school books in the attic and declares she won't look at them til September.

She plans on having one more really free, good summer as it's probably her last as a "little girl". Her words, but she's fourteen now. That is that kind of age.

#LainaReadsAnne She's growing very tall and Mrs Rachel says she'll "soon have to put on longer skirts". Like putting your hair up, wearing long skirts was considered a sing of maturity. Skirts would get longer as a girl got older.

#LainaReadsAnne Also, special note goes to, "I think we're going to have a very gay vacation", LOL.

#LainaReadsAnne The next day, Mrs Rachel comes to check on them as Marilla wasn't at the Aid meeting Thursday and everyone knows it takes a lot for that to happen. Mrs Rachel might be a busybody, but I appreciate that she was worried about her friends and came to see them.

#LainaReadsAnne Matthew had a "bad spell with his heart" that day and Marilla didn't want to leave him. They've been happening more than they used to. The doctor says he need to avoid excitment (easy) and also heavy work (not easy).

Sigh.

#LainaReadsAnne Let's just pretend that didn't happen.

Anywas, Mrs Rachel stays for tea and Anne makes it and "hot biscuits that were light and white enough to defy even Mrs Rachel's criticism".

#LainaReadsAnne As Marilla walks her to the end of the lane, Mrs Rachel says Anne has turned out to be a smart girl, and a real help to Marilla. Marilla says Anne is steady and reliable and Marilla "wouldn't be afraid to trust her in anything now".

Awwwwww.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel willingly admits she was mistaken about Anne and she's glad for that. And that Anne has grown very pretty and maybe she's not as conventionally pretty as the other girls, but she's unique, and that makes her stand out from the crowd.

#LainaReadsAnne That's the end of the chapter, and you'll have to excuse me, because I seem to have something in my eye.