Anne of Green Gables - A Literal and Literary Pilgrimage

The Dorothy Neal White Collection is a research collection of children’s books that were enjoyed by young New Zealanders before 1940. The Friends of the Dorothy Neal White Collection support the work of this and other children’s literature collections held in the National Library of New Zealand.

Do you remember Anne of Green Gables?
Do you remember Anne of Green Gables? Join literary historian Cheryl Paget on a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island, Canada, and sites connected with L M Montgomery’s and her famous character.

A pilgrimage of sites connected with Anne of Green Gables
In 2016 a chance conversation with a friend led to Cheryl Paget making a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island, Canada, and sites connected with L M Montgomery’s and her famous character Anne of Green Gables.

They visited all the properties associated with Lucy Maud Montgomery on the island, and this presentation is a recount of their trip, and a biography of her life, told through the places she loved the most and how her love of the island and home influenced her writing.

About the speaker
Currently living on the Kapiti Coast, Cheryl was born in Scotland and brought up in Suffolk, England, immigrating in 2009 to New Zealand as a single Mum with two boys.

Cheryl cites Anne of Green Gables as the biggest influence on her life, deciding at a very early age that she would go to University to study English Literature just like Anne Shirley. Cheryl completed her studies at Warwick University with an MA in Literature for Children in 1994.

The other biggest literary influence was Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series. As the New Zealand Co-ordinator for the Arthur Ransome Society, Cheryl gets to release her inner Nancy every year when organising the society’s annual weekend get-togethers.

Image: Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Photograph by Cheryl Paget