Living Books and Anne Shirley

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”

-Anne Shirley

I really enjoyed this blog post about Living Books. Since we are reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery right now and enjoying it immensely, I've been thinking about the joys of using good literature. Here are some ideas about Living Books and how I think they apply to Anne of Green Gables:

1. Living books appeal to all ages- We all are loving the story; from Mom (fond memories of a favorite childhood story) to brothers (who laugh at all the scrapes that Anne gets herself into) to little sis who loves any story about girls.
2. Living books have scope for imagination- since this is one of Anne's favorite things to say, I definitely think that AOGG qualifies.
3. Living books have an important message- there are many messages here but I think a major theme is the redemptive and healing qualities of love. Other ideas are loyalty (bosom friends and kindred spirits), kindness and forgiveness.
4. Living books make you think- we have had some lively discussions about Anne's situations and what could have been done differently.
5. Living books use a rich vocabulary- some examples are capricious,  traversed, ferreted, decorum, gauntlet, innovation, qualms, uncanny, profound,  sorrel mare, sundry, elusive, ruminated, rapture, revelation,  dialogue, animation, deprecatingly, mellowed, reconcile, asylum, perturbation, predilection.
6. Living books describe the hero's moral crisis and growth- Anne certainly grows and it seems that each chapter contains a moral crisis and victory. 
7. Living books contain beloved characters- Anne is certainly a beloved (though crisis-prone) character, Diana is the beloved friend, Marilla and Matthew are just what Anne needs though in much different ways and even Gilbert is much admired for his repeated attempts to earn Anne's forgiveness despite her disdain.
8. Living books describe historical and geographical details- there are  references to the politics of the time and also to the geography of Prince Edward Island.
9. Living books have descriptions of natural surroundings- here is an excerpt: "Spring has come once more to Green Gables- the beautiful, capricious, reluctant Canadian spring, lingering along through April and May in a succession of sweet, fresh, chilly days, with pink sunsets and miracles of resurrection and growth. The maples in Lover's Lane were red budded and little curly ferns pushed up around the Dryad's Bubble. Away up in the barrens, behind Mr. Silas Sloane's place, the Mayflowers blossomed out, pink and white stars of sweetness under their brown leaves."

Here is a map that I found of Avonlea:

And here is a map of Prince Edward Island: