When thinking of well known children’ s characters from my childhood these two names spring to mind. (second only to Heidi) On reflection I can’t help thinking of the similarity of character traits of these two iconic childhood role models; Alice and Anne. I wonder just how much my immersion in their worlds in my formative years has seeded my inquiring and adventurous nature throughout my life.
I am referring to Adventuresome Alice and the delightful Anne of Prince Edward Island.
Did you know that you can access the original version of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground written by Lewis Carroll in 1865 through the British Library? The modern “turning pages” technology gives you as close-as-it-gets to the full experience of “handling” the original. Give it a go. It is quite amazing and lots of fun to compare it with more recently published versions.
And as for Anne? Canadians and other fans around the world are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s creation of the irrepressible Anne Shirley. I was fortunate enough to recently visit Anne’s house on Prince Edward Island and I was amazed at just how “familiar” the house and surroundings felt. It was as if I had visited there before… and I had, through LM Montgomery’s writings which I had read more than 40 years ago. Such is a testament to the clarity of the images her words created and the impact and charm of the story on my developing psyche.
Having reread the story on my return, I was delighted to find that her writing still carries the same impact and charm. I read Anne of Green Gables this week with as much freshness and pleasure as I did such a long time ago.
The story lives on and is well worth revisiting.
And if you don’t have a print copy it is available as an downloadable e-book for free
Of course you could also access the movie trailers
See how they are celebrating Anne2008 - visit the 100th celebration website
Happy reading and reminiscing
Glenda
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