''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...
(published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of an 11-year-old orphan girl
Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to
adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
Since its publication, ''Anne of Green Gables'' has been translated into at least 36 languages and has sold more than 50 million copies, making it one of the
best-selling books worldwide to date in any language, and is taught to students around the world.
It was the first of many novels; Montgomery wrote numerous sequels. In 2008, an authorized prequel'', Before Green Gables'' by Budge Wilson was published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the series.
The book has been adapted as films,
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
s, and animated and live-action television series. Musicals and plays have also been created, with productions annually in Canada,
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
Source

In writing the novel, Montgomery was inspired by notes she had made as a young girl about two siblings who were mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of the boy they had requested, yet decided to keep her. She drew upon her childhood experiences in rural
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
, Canada. Montgomery used a photograph of
Evelyn Nesbit
Florence Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884 or 1885 – January 17, 1967) was an American model (person), artists' model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her career in New York City, as well as her husband, railroad scion Har ...
, which she had clipped from New York's ''
Metropolitan Magazine'' and put on the wall of her bedroom as the model for the face of Anne Shirley and a reminder of her "youthful idealism and spirituality."
Montgomery was inspired by the "formula Ann" orphan stories (called such because they followed such a predictable formula) that were popular at the time, but distinguished her character by spelling her name with an extra "e". She based other characters, such as
Gilbert Blythe, in part on people she knew. She said she wrote the novel in the twilight of the day while sitting at her window and overlooking the fields of
Cavendish.
Summary
Anne Shirley, a young orphan from the fictional community of Bolingbroke,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
(based upon the real community of
New London, Prince Edward Island
New London is a Canadian rural community located in Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County, Prince Edward Island.
Situated in the township of Lot 21, Prince Edward Island, Lot 21, halfway between Kensington, Prince Edward Island, Ken ...
), is sent to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, unmarried siblings in their fifties and sixties, after a childhood spent in strangers' homes and orphanages. Marilla and Matthew had originally sought to adopt a boy from the orphanage to help Matthew run their farm at
Green Gables, which is set in the fictional town of Avonlea (based on
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island). Through a misunderstanding, the orphanage sends Anne instead.
Anne is fanciful, imaginative, eager to please, and dramatic. She is also adamant her name should always be spelled with an "e" at the end. However, she is defensive about her appearance, despising her red hair, freckles, and pale, thin frame, but liking her nose. She is talkative, especially when it comes to describing her fantasies and dreams. At first, stern Marilla says Anne must return to the orphanage, but after much observation and consideration, along with kind, quiet Matthew's encouragement, Marilla decides to let her stay.
Anne takes much joy in life and adapts quickly, thriving in the close-knit farming village. Her imagination and talkativeness soon brighten up Green Gables.
The book recounts Anne's struggles and joys in settling into Green Gables (the first real home she's ever known): the country school where she quickly excels in her studies; her friendship with Diana Barry, the girl living next door (her best or "bosom friend" as Anne fondly calls her); her budding literary ambitions; and her rivalry with her classmate
Gilbert Blythe, who teases her about her red hair. For that, he earns her instant hatred, although he apologizes several times. As time passes, however, Anne realizes she no longer hates Gilbert, but her pride and stubbornness keep her from speaking to him.
The book also follows Anne's adventures in Avonlea. Episodes include playtime with her friends Diana, calm, placid Jane Andrews, and beautiful, boy-crazy Ruby Gillis. She has run-ins with the unpleasant Pye sisters, Gertie and Josie, and frequent domestic "scrapes" such as dyeing her hair green while intending to dye it black, and accidentally getting Diana drunk by giving her what she thinks is raspberry cordial but which turns out to be currant wine.
At sixteen, Anne goes to Queen's Academy to earn a teaching license, along with Gilbert, Ruby, Josie, Jane, and several other students, excluding Diana, much to Anne's dismay. She obtains her license in one year instead of the usual two and wins the Avery Scholarship awarded to the top student in English. This scholarship would allow her to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree at the fictional Redmond College (based on the real
Dalhousie College) on the mainland in Nova Scotia.
Near the end of the book, however, tragedy strikes when Matthew dies of a heart attack after learning that all of his and Marilla's money has been lost in a bank failure. Out of devotion to Marilla and Green Gables, Anne gives up the scholarship to stay at home and help Marilla, whose eyesight is failing. She plans to teach at the Carmody school, the nearest school available, and return to Green Gables on weekends. In an act of friendship, Gilbert Blythe gives up his teaching position at the Avonlea School in favor of Anne, to work at the White Sands School instead, knowing that Anne wants to stay close to Marilla after Matthew's death. After this kind act, Anne and Gilbert's friendship is cemented, and Anne looks forward to what life will bring next.
Characters
The Green Gables household
*
Anne Shirley: An imaginative, talkative, red-haired orphan who comes to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at age 11. Anne is highly sensitive and dislikes the colour of her hair. Anne's bleak early childhood was spent being shuttled from orphanage to foster homes, caring for younger children. She is excited to finally have a real home at Green Gables.
* Marilla Cuthbert: Matthew's sister, an austere but fair woman who has the "glimmerings of a sense of humour." Her life has been colourless and without joy until the arrival of Anne. She tries to instill discipline in the child but grows to love Anne's vivacity and joy.
* Matthew Cuthbert: Marilla's brother, a shy, kind man who takes a liking to Anne from the start. The two become fast friends and he is the first person to ever show Anne unconditional love. Although Marilla has primary responsibility for rearing Anne, Matthew has no qualms about "spoiling" her and indulging her with pretty clothes and fancy shoes.
Anne's friends/classmates
* Diana Barry: Anne's best friend and a kindred spirit. Anne and Diana become best friends from the moment they meet. She is the only girl of Anne's age who lives close to Green Gables. Anne admires Diana for being pretty with black hair and flawless complexion and for her amiable disposition. Diana lacks Anne's vivid imagination but is a loyal friend.
*
Gilbert Blythe: A handsome, smart, and witty classmate, two years older than Anne, who has a crush on her. Unaware of Anne's sensitivity about her red hair, he tries to get her attention by holding her braid and calling her "Carrots" in the classroom, and she breaks a slate over his head. Despite his attempts at an apology, Anne's anger and stubbornness prevent her from speaking to him for several years. By the end of the book, however, they apologise and become good friends.
* Ruby Gillis: Another of Anne's friends. Having several "grown-up" sisters, Ruby loves to share her knowledge of beaux with her friends. She is pretty and blonde, but rather empty-headed and prone to hysterics.
* Jane Andrews: One of Anne's friends from school, she is plain and sensible. She does well enough academically to join Anne's class at Queen's.
* Josie Pye: A classmate generally disliked by the other girls (as are her siblings), Josie is vain, dishonest, sharp-tongued, and jealous of Anne's popularity.
* Prissy Andrews: Another school companion of Anne's, who is assumed to be in a relationship with the teacher, Mr. Phillips.
Avonlea's locals
* Mrs. Rachel Lynde: A neighbour of Matthew and Marilla, Mrs. Lynde is a noted busybody but is also industrious and charitable. Although she and Anne start off on the wrong foot due to Mrs. Lynde's blunt criticism and Anne's short temper, they soon become quite close. Mrs. Lynde is married to Thomas Lynde, who is mentioned several times but never appears, and has raised ten children.
* Mr. Teddy Phillips: Anne's first teacher at Avonlea, Mr. Phillips is unpopular with students. In Anne's case, he continually misspells her name (without the "E") and punishes only her among the twelve pupils who arrive late, resulting in Anne's refusal to attend school for several weeks. Once, he punished Anne for losing her temper with Gilbert Blythe. He is described as lacking discipline, and "courts" one of his older pupils, Prissy Andrews, openly.
* Miss Muriel Stacy: Anne's energetic replacement teacher. Her warm and sympathetic nature appeals to her students, but some of Avonlea's more old-fashioned parents disapprove of her teaching methods. Miss Stacy is another "kindred spirit," whom Anne views as a mentor. Miss Stacy encourages Anne to develop her character and intellect and helps prepare her for the entrance exam at Queen's Academy.
* Reverend and Mrs. Allan: The minister and his wife also befriend Anne, with Mrs. Allan becoming particularly close. She is described as pretty and is a "kindred spirit."
* Mr. George Barry and Mrs. Barry: Diana's parents. Mr. Barry is unseen save for late in the book when he drives Anne and Diana to Charlottetown. He is a farmer. Near the end of the book, he offers to rent some tracts to help out Anne and Marilla, after Matthew's death. Mrs. Barry is a strict parent. After Anne accidentally gets Diana drunk, Mrs. Barry forbids Diana to have anything to do with Anne. This sanction is repealed after Anne saves Diana's younger sister, Minnie May.
* Minnie May Barry: Diana's baby sister, whose life is saved by Anne when she becomes infected with
croup
Croup ( ), also known as croupy cough, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms of "bar ...
.
Others
* Miss Josephine Barry: Diana's wealthy great-aunt from Charlottetown. She is initially severe, but is quickly charmed and entertained by Anne's imagination, and invites her and Diana to tea. She refers to Anne as "the Anne-girl" and even sends Anne beaded slippers as a Christmas present.
* Mrs. Hammond: Anne lives with her for a portion of her pre-Green-Gables life and cares for Mrs. Hammond's three sets of twins. Anne is sent to the Hopetown orphan asylum when Mrs. Hammond is forced to break up her home after her husband's sudden death.
Publication history
''Anne of Green Gables'' was first published by
L.C. Page & Co. of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
on June 13, 1908. The book quickly became a best-seller, selling over 19,000 copies in the first five months. Since then, over 50 million copies have been sold worldwide. A full scan of the first edition, first impression is provided by the L. M. Montgomery Institute.
Montgomery's original manuscript is preserved by the
Confederation Centre of the Arts, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Since 2022, the Centre has hosted a project in which digital images of the entire manuscript can be examined online. A transcript of the manuscript was published by Nimbus Publishing in 2019.
Montgomery's original typescript and the corrected proofs are lost.
The first edition has errors in the text. Critical editions will identify corrections that have been applied to the text by the editor. The choice of corrections depends on the editor and varies across editions. As an example, the ''Penguin Classics'' edition, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre, lists the following corrections:
Related works
Based on the popularity of her first book, Montgomery wrote a series of sequels to continue the story of her heroine Anne Shirley.
The prequel, ''
Before Green Gables'' (2008), was written by
Budge Wilson with the authorization of the heirs of L. M. Montgomery.
Tourism and merchandising

The
Green Gables farmhouse is located in
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Many tourist attractions on
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
have been developed based on the fictional Anne, and provincial license plates once bore her image. Balsam Hollow, the forest that inspired the Haunted Woods and Campbell Pond, the body of water which inspired The Lake of Shining Waters, both described in the book, are located in the vicinity.
[Green Gables](_blank)
Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved on July 24, 2006 In addition, the
Confederation Centre of the Arts has featured the wildly successful
Anne of Green Gables musical on its mainstage every summer for over five decades. The Anne of Green Gables Museum is located in Park Corner, PEI, in a home that inspired L. M. Montgomery.
The province and tourist facilities have highlighted the local connections to the internationally popular novels. ''Anne of Green Gables'' has been translated into 36 languages. "Tourism by ''Anne'' fans is an important part of the Island economy". Merchants offer items based on the novels.
In 2019, Canadian publishing company Bradan Press crowdfunded a
Scottish-Gaelic translation of ''Anne of Green Gables'', titled Anna Ruadh, through the crowdfunding website
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
. The book, released in 2020, is the first Scottish-Gaelic translation of ''Anne of Green Gables''.
The novel has been popular in Japan, where it is known as ''Red-haired Anne'' (), and where it has been included in the national school curriculum since 1952. 'Anne' is revered as "an icon" in Japan, especially since 1979 when this story was broadcast as
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, ''
Anne of Green Gables''. Japanese couples travel to Prince Edward Island to have civil wedding ceremonies on the grounds of the Green Gables farm. Some Japanese girls arrive as tourists with red-dyed hair styled in pigtails, to look like Anne. In 2014, the
Asadora '
Hanako to Anne
is a Japanese television drama series, the 90th Asadora series broadcast on NHK. It debuted on March 31, 2014, and was broadcast Monday through Saturday mornings, ending on September 27, 2014. It is based on the novel ''An no Yurikago Muraoka Hana ...
', which was about
Hanako Muraoka, the first person to translate Anne into Japanese, was broadcast and Anne became popular among old and young alike.
A replica of the Green Gables house in Cavendish is located in the theme park Canadian World in
Ashibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan. The park was a less expensive alternative for Japanese tourists instead of traveling to P.E.I. The park hosted performances featuring actresses playing Anne and Diana. The theme park is open during the summer season with free admission, though there are no longer staff or interpreters.

The Avonlea theme park near Cavendish and the Cavendish Figurines shop have trappings so that tourists may dress like the book's characters for photos. Souvenir shops throughout Prince Edward Island offer numerous foods and products based on details of the 'Anne Shirley' novels. Straw hats for girls with sewn-in red braids are common, as are bottles of raspberry cordial soda.
Legacy and honours
;Buildings
* The popularity of the books and subsequent film adaptations is credited with inspiring the design and naming of buildings "Green Gables". An example still standing is an apartment block called "Green Gables" built in the 1930s, in New Farm, Queensland, Australia.
;Museum
*
Bala's Museum, located in
Bala, Ontario, Canada, is a house museum established in 1992 and dedicated to Lucy M. Montgomery information and heritage. The house was a tourist home owned by Fanny Pike when Montgomery and her family stayed there on a summer vacation in 1922. That visit to the region inspired the novel ''
The Blue Castle'' (1926). The town is named Deerwood in the novel; this was Montgomery's only narrative setting outside
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...
.
;Postage stamps
* On May 15, 1975,
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada.
Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...
issued ''Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables'' designed by Peter Swan and typographed by Bernard N.J. Reilander. The 8¢ stamps are perforated 13 and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited.
* In 2008, Canada Post issued
two postage stamps and a souvenir sheet honouring Anne and the "Green Gables" house.
;Reading lists
* In 2003, ''Anne of Green Gables'' was ranked number 41 in
The Big Read
The Big Read was a survey on books that was carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, when over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel. The year-long survey was th ...
, a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
survey of the British public to determine the "nation's best-loved novel" (not children's novel).
* In 2012, it was ranked number nine among all-time children's novels in a survey published by ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...
'', a monthly with primarily U.S. audience.
Adaptations
Films
The first filmed appearance of Anne Shirley was in the 1919 silent film,
''Anne of Green Gables'', in which the role was played by
Mary Miles Minter. The film was directed by
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner; 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Cinema of the United States, Hollywood motion picture colony o ...
. As of 2011, no prints of this silent film adaptation are known to survive. The 1919 film version moved the story from Prince Edward Island to New England, which one American critic—unaware that the novel was set in Canada—praised for "the genuine New England atmosphere called for by the story".
[Hammill, Faye "'A new and exceedingly brilliant star': L. M. Montgomery, ''Anne of Green Gables'', and Mary Miles Minter" pages 652-670 from ''The Modern Language Review'', Volume 101, Issue # 3, July 2006 page 666.] Montgomery herself was infuriated with the film for changing Anne from a Canadian to an American, writing in her diary:
It was a pretty little play well photographed, but I think if I hadn't already known it was from my book, that I would never had recognized it. The landscape and folks were 'New England', never P.E Island...A skunk and an American flag were introduced - both equally unknown in PE Island. I could have shrieked with rage over the latter. Such crass, blatant Yankeeism!.
Montgomery disapproved of Minter's performance, writing she had portrayed "a sweet, sugary heroine utterly unlike my gingerly Anne", and complained about a scene where Shirley waved about a shotgun as something as her Anne would never do.
[Hammill, Faye "'A new and exceedingly brilliant star': L. M. Montgomery, ''Anne of Green Gables'', and Mary Miles Minter" pages 652-670 from ''The Modern Language Review'', Volume 101, Issue # 3, July 2006 page 667.]
In the
1934 adaptation of the novel, Anne was portrayed by
Dawn O'Day, who legally changed her name to "Anne Shirley." She reprised the role in ''Anne of Windy Poplars'', a 1940 film adaptation. Montgomery liked the 1934 film more than the 1919 film, not least because now the book's dialogue could be portrayed on the silver screen and that two scenes were filmed on location in Prince Edward Island (though the rest of the film was shot in California), but still charged that neither the 1919 nor 1934 versions of ''Anne of Green Gables'' quite got her book right.
[Hammill, Faye "'A new and exceedingly brilliant star': L. M. Montgomery, ''Anne of Green Gables'', and Mary Miles Minter" pages 652-670 from ''The Modern Language Review'', Volume 101, Issue # 3, July 2006 page 668.] Writing about the 1934 version of ''Anne of Green Gables'', Montgomery wrote in her diary that it was a "thousand times" better than the 1919 version, but still it: "was so entirely different from ''my'' vision of the scenes and the people that it did not seem like ''my'' book at all".
The British scholar
Faye Hammill
Faye Hammill Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE is a professor in the University of Glasgow, specialising in North American and British modern writing in the first half of the twentieth century, what is often called 'middlebrow'. ...
wrote that 1934 film version stripped Anne of the "Canadian and feminist" aspects that the Anne of the books possessed, stating that there was something about Anne that Hollywood cannot get right.
Hammill observed that the idea that Anne was entirely cheerful is a product of the film and television versions as the Anne of the books has to deal with loss, rejection, cruel authority figures, and loneliness.
List
* ''
Anne of Green Gables'' (1919), a
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
adapted to the screen by
Frances Marion
Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens; November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...
, directed by
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner; 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Cinema of the United States, Hollywood motion picture colony o ...
, and starring
Mary Miles Minter as Anne; this is considered a
lost film
A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
.
* ''
Anne of Green Gables'' (1934), directed by George Nichols Jr. and starring
Dawn O'Day as Anne Shirley; after filming, O'Day changed her
screen name to Anne Shirley.
* ''
Anne of Windy Poplars'' (1940), directed by
Jack Hively
Jack Hively (September 5, 1910 – December 19, 1995) was an American film editor and film and television director whose career lasted from the 1930s through the 1980s. His father and his brother were also film editors. He began as a film editor ...
, is a black & white "talkie" starring Dawn O'Day as Anne Shirley, now billed as "Anne Shirley".
*''
Akage no An: Green Gables e no Michi'' (1989, released in 2010) ''Red-haired Anne: Road to Green Gables -''
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, directed by
Isao Takahata. A 100-minute theatrical movie compilation of the first six episodes of the
animated television series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
''Akage no An,'' edited together by Takahata in 1989. The film went unreleased until July 17, 2010, when it was screened at the
Ghibli Museum.
Radio productions
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1941), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by BBC Home Service Basic, adapted into four parts by Muriel Levy, and starring Cherry Cottrell as Anne.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1944), a recreation of the 1941 BBC Radio drama, produced and broadcast by BBC Home Service Basic.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1954), a Canadian radio drama produced and broadcast by
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
, adapted into 13 parts by Andrew Allen and starring
Toby Tarnow as Anne.
* ''Anna zo Zeleného domu'' (1966), a Slovak radio drama produced and broadcast by Czechoslovak Radio, starring Anna Bučinská as Anne.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1971), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
, adapted into 13 parts by Cristina Sellors, and read by Ann Murray.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1997), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by BBC Radio 4, dramatized into five parts by Marcy Kahan and starred Barbara Barnes as Anne.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (2004), a ''
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...
Radio Theatre'' production with
Mae Whitman portraying Anne.
Stage productions
* ''
Anne of Green Gables: The Musical'', performed annually in the summer, at
Charlottetown Festival, since 1965, this is Canada's longest-running main stage musical production, and has had a total audience of more than 2 million. ''Anne of Green Gables – The Musical'' was composed by Canadians
Don Harron
Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...
and
Norman Campbell, with lyrics by Elaine Campbell and
Mavor Moore. The production has been performed before
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and it has toured across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan. In 1969, it had a run in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
's
West End. The Charlottetown Festival production performed at the
1970 World's Fair in
Osaka, Japan
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...
.
Walter Learning directed and organized a successful national tour of the musical in Japan in 1991.
* The Guild in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, hosts ''Anne and Gilbert, The Musical''. Written by
Nancy White, Bob Johnston, and Jeff Hochhauser, the production is based on Montgomery's sequels featuring Anne Shirley.
* ''The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery'', a musical adapted from Montgomery's novel and her life, opened at Kings Playhouse in
Georgetown, Prince Edward Island on June 20, 2008, the 100th anniversary of the book's publication. With book and lyrics by Adam-Michael James and music by
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
-nominated composer
Leo Marchildon, the musical depicts events from Montgomery's life and features characters and heroines from all of her novels. Anne figures prominently and is shown from age 12 into her 40s. Gilbert Blythe also appears. The show's second production was at the Carrefour Theatre in
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and opened July 11, 2009. In both years, the musical was nominated for The Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation's Wendell Boyle Award. In July 2010, a concert version of the show toured Prince Edward Island, with four performances at Green Gables.
*
Theatreworks USA, a New York-based children's theatre company, produced an ''Anne of Green Gables'' musical in 2006 at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre. A revived production, with musical contributions from
Gretchen Cryer, is planned to tour grade-schools.
* The Peterborough Players, based in
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the ...
, staged an adaptation by Joseph Robinette of ''Anne of Green Gables'' in August 2009.
* ''Anne and Gilbert'' is a musical adaptation of the books ''Anne of Avonlea'' and ''Anne of the Island''. It depicts the relationship of Anne and Gilbert during their years as teachers and college students, and their return to Avonlea.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'', adapted by
Julia Britton and
Robert Chuter performed as a site-specific production at Rippon Lea, Melbourne, Australia December - February, 1996–97.
*A "folk-rock" adaptation entitled ''Anne of Green Gables'' by Matte O'Brien and Matt Vinson was premiered at the 2018 Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, with a subsequent 2020 concept album and a 2022 production at
Goodspeed Opera House.
Television films and episodic series (animated)
* ''
Akage no An'' (1979; ''Red-Haired Anne''), an animated television series, part of
Nippon Animation's ''
World Masterpiece Theater'', produced in Japan and directed by
Isao Takahata.
* ''
Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'' (2001), a
PBS Kids
PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...
animated series for older children ages eight to twelve, created by
Sullivan Entertainment Inc.
* ''
Anne: Journey to Green Gables'' (2005), an animated video film produced by
Sullivan Entertainment and the prequel to ''
Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'' (2001–2002)
* ''
Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables'' (2009), part of the ''
World Masterpiece Theater'', this prequel to ''
Akage no An'' is based on
Budge Wilson's authorized prequel ''
Before Green Gables'' (2008).
* ''
Anne Shirley'' (2025), an animated television series adaptation produced in Japan by
The Answer Studio and directed by Hiroshi Kawamata.
Television films and episodic series (live-action)
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1952), a BBC television series starring Carole Lorimer as Anne. Broadcast live, no recordings are thought to have ever existed, as it was made before
telerecording was practiced by the BBC.
* ''
Anne of Green Gables'' (1956), a made-for-television musical version directed by
Norman Campbell and starring
Toby Tarnow as Anne.
* ''Anne de Green Gables'' (1957), a French-Canadian television film directed by Jacques Gauthier, starring Mireille Lachance as Anne Shirley.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1958), a recreation of the 1956 film directed by
Don Harron
Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...
, starring Kathy Willard as Anne.
* ''
Anne of Green Gables'' (1972), a British made-for-television 5-part mini-series directed by Joan Craft, starring
Kim Braden as Anne.
** ''
Anne of Avonlea'' (1975), a British made-for-television 4-part mini-series sequel directed by Joan Craft, starring
Kim Braden as Anne.
*''
Anne of Green Gables'' (1985), a
CBC four-hour television mini series directed by
Kevin Sullivan with
Megan Follows as Anne; widely considered the definitive version to date.
** ''
Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' (1987), a sequel to the 1985 miniseries which aired on CBC and the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
as ''Anne of Avonlea: The Continuing Story of Anne of Green Gables''. Follows reprises her role.
** ''
Road to Avonlea'' (1990–1996) shown on
CBC, a live-action television spin-off series based upon characters and episodes from several of
L.M. Montgomery's other books. Anne herself never appears but other characters from the previous two films are included, and the series is set within the same continuity as Sullivan's 1980s miniseries.
** ''
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' (2000), a sequel to the 1985 television miniseries not based on the novels. Follows reprises Anne Shirley once again.
** ''
Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' (2008), a prequel to the 1985 television miniseries not based on the novels.
Hannah Endicott-Douglas plays young Anne, and
Barbara Hershey plays Anne as an adult.
* ''
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables'' (2016), a 90-minute made-for-television adaptation of the book by
Breakthrough Films & Television, adapted by
Susan Coyne, directed by
John Kent Harrison, and stars
Ella Ballentine as Anne,
Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert, and
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
as Matthew Cuthbert. It was followed by ''Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars'' and ''Anne of Green Gables: Fire & Dew'' (both in 2017).
* ''
Anne with an E
''Anne with an E'' (initially titled ''Anne'' for its first season within Canada) is a Canadian period drama television series loosely adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 classic work of children's literature, '' Anne of Green Gables''. It ...
'' (2017–2019), a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
joint CBC-Netflix
episodic drama that developed the subtext of trauma in the novel through original storylines. It was adapted by
Moira Walley-Beckett, and stars
Amybeth McNulty
Amybeth McNulty (born 7 November 2001) is an Irish actress based in Canada. She is known for her starring role as Anne Shirley in the CBC/Netflix drama series ''Anne with an E'' (2017–2019), based on the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' ...
as
Anne Shirley,
Geraldine James as Marilla Cuthbert,
R. H. Thomson as Matthew Cuthbert, and
Lucas Jade Zumann as
Gilbert Blythe.
Web productions
* ''Green Gables Fables'' (2014–2016), an American-Canadian web series which conveys the story in the form of
Tumblr
Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...
posts,
tweets,
vlog
A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
s, and other
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
. It is a modern adaptation of ''Anne of Green Gables'' and ''
Anne of the Island'', with many of its elements changed to better suit 21st-century culture. Mandy Harmon portrays the main character, Anne Shirley.
* ''Project Green Gables'' (2015–2016), a Finnish web series and a modern adaptation of ''Anne of Green Gables'', which conveys the story in the form of vlogs. Laura Eklund Nhaga plays Anne Shirley.
Comics
* ''Akage no An'' (1984), a three volume
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation of the original novel by Keiko Sugimoto and published by
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
* Akage no An (1985) an adaptation by mangaka
Akemi Matsuzaki.
*
Yumiko Igarashi adapted the first three novels across five volumes in 1997-1998 for
Kumon Publishing.
* ''Rainbow Valley'' (2003), a two volume manga adaptation of the seventh novel in the series by Chieko Hara for Kodansha.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (2013), a manga adaptation of the original novel was created by Mako Takami and published by
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
in Japan as part of their World Masterpiece Collection.
* ''Anne of Green Gables'' (2010-2014), a four-issue adaptation by CW Cooke and Giancarlo Malagutti was published by
TidalWave Productions. It was later collected in a
trade paperback in 2014.
* ''Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel'' (2017) was published by
Andrews McMeel Publishing, with adaptation work by Mariah Marsden and illustrations from Brenna Thummler.
* ''Anne of West Philly'' (2022) a modernized retelling by Ivy Noelle Weir with illustrations from Myisha Haynes, published by
Hachette Book Group.
* ''Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of)'' (2022), a modernized retelling by Kathleen Gros published by
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
.
* ''
Anne Shirley'' (2025), a manga adaptation of the anime series by The Answer Studio was announced in December 2024. The manga is illustrated by Akane Hoshikubo and began serialization in
Enterbrain
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on January 30, 1987, as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strate ...
's ''
B's Log Comic'' online magazine on January 5, 2025.
Parodies
As one of the most familiar characters in Canadian literature, ''Anne of Green Gables'' has been parodied by several Canadian comedy troupes, including
CODCO (''Anne of Green Gut'') and
The Frantics (''Fran of the
Fundy'').
References
Bibliography
*
*
* authorized by the heirs of L. M. Montgomery.
*
*
* Critical edition, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones.
* Critical edition, edited by Cecily Devereux.
* Critical edition, edited by Elizabeth Waterston and Mary Henley Rubio.
* Critical edition, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre.
* Edited by Carolyn Strom Collins.
*
*
External links
*
**
*
*
*
Scan of the first edition, first impression of ''Anne of Green Gables'' L.M. Montgomery Institute,
University of Prince Edward Island
The original manuscriptof ''Anne of Green Gables'', digitally scanned and with extensive notes
''Anne of Green Gables'' CentenaryL. M. Montgomery Institute University of Prince Edward Island
"L.M. Montgomery Research Centre" University of Guelph
The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
Library Archival & Special Collections.
*
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