Full title   Anne of Green Gables

Author   Lucy Maud Montgomery

Type of work   Novel

Genre   Coming-of-age novel; juvenile literature

Language   English

Time and place written   1908; Canada

Date of first publication   1908

Publisher   L. C. Page

Narrator   The narrator relates the events of the novel in the third person and has access to every character’s thoughts and emotions. Biased and partial, the narrator often mocks, condemns, or shows affection for the characters.

Point of view   The novel is written mainly from Anne’s point of view, but it frequently switches to Marilla’s and sometimes to Matthew’s points of view.

Tone   The narrator is affectionate toward Anne, satirical when describing small-town life, and sentimental and gushing when describing nature.

Tense   Past

Setting (time)   The turn of the twentieth century

Setting (place)   Prince Edward Island, Canada

Protagonist   Anne Shirley

Major conflict   Anne struggles to reconcile her imagination and romantic notions with the rigid expectations of traditional Avonlea society.

Rising action   Anne’s continuous mistakes in her domestic duties and social interactions

Climax   Matthew’s death and Anne’s success at college

Falling action   Anne’s decision to stay at Green Gables and teach in Avonlea

Themes   The conflict between imagination and expectation; sentimentality versus emotion

Motifs   Fashion; images of nature

Symbols   Anne’s red hair; the light from Diana’s window

Foreshadowing   Anne’s dream about having a best friend hints at the close relationship she develops with Diana Barry; Matthew’s heart trouble foreshadows his death at the end of the novel, just as Marilla’s headaches foreshadow her health problems.