For Anne Fans

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Anne's Anthology: Following the Footnote Trail, ed. Margie Gray

I know you're out there.  You always spell Anne with an 'e,' you look for kindred spirits, Gilbert is your dream boy, and you would happily go to Prince Edward Island on a vacation.  Possibly you even insisted on a dress with puffed sleeves when you were 14, if you are old enough to have lived through the 80's.

In honor of the Victorian Celebration, I thought I'd let you know about a book just for Anne-addicts.  Anne's Anthology is a collection of poetry that was popular in the Victorian era--every piece that was quoted or referenced in Anne of Green Gables, all gathered into one very large book, complete with where the reference is found.  This is not a collection of Victorian poetry that has remained popular for the last century or so or been judged important; it's a collection of what Victorians themselves liked, which I think makes a difference.

It's not a terribly well-known book.  It's one that homeschoolers use, and if you have to own a copy, you'd probably be better off ordering it from a homeschool supplier than from Amazon.  I got it from Rainbow Resource myself, and I've enjoyed having it.  I've read nearly all of it since I bought it a few years ago.

However I did not actually read the entire 700-page book this week.  I was looking through it last night and read some of the poems, like "The Vision of Sir Launfal," "Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight," and so on.  But I thought I'd share.


Comments

  1. Adriana@ClassicalQuestJune 23, 2012 at 9:22 AM

    Sounds interesting. I was absolutely obsessed with all things "Anne" at age 14. My best friend and I memorized The "Lady of Shallot" and "The Highwayman". Love to see young people today who are into the wonderful new (usually BBC) period dramas -- such a great introduction to the classics!

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  2. CassandraJune 23, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    I have somehow managed not to read Anne of Green Gables for the first (almost) sixteen years of my life, but I came across this post today when I was on the train to the city and spontaneously decided to get a copy of it. I hope it lives up to my expectations :)

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  3. JeanJune 23, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    Ha! I hope you like it. It helps if you're a teeny bit younger and very romantic-minded. The movie made in 1987 was excellent--it still is--and produced a generation of Anne fans. It's one of the few literary movies that I think is OK to watch before reading the book, even.

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  4. AnonymousJune 25, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    We used this for homeschool several years ago. In fact, we built an entire study around it. I have not seen much of Anne's Anthology around and was pleased to see it here. It is a marvelous book.

    ReplyDelete

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