Lucy Maud Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery – Life, Works, and Enduring Voice

Explore the life and legacy of Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), the Canadian novelist behind Anne of Green Gables. Discover her biography, creative journey, major works, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Lucy Maud Montgomery—better known as L. M. Montgomery—is one of Canada’s most beloved authors. Born on November 30, 1874, in Prince Edward Island, she wrote more than 20 novels, hundreds of short stories, poems, and essays. Her most famous creation, Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables (1908), captured imaginations around the world and remains a cultural icon. Montgomery’s writing is suffused with a deep appreciation for nature, an imaginative sensibility, emotional nuance, and a heartfelt engagement with themes of belonging, identity, and hope.

Early Life and Family

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in Clifton (now New London), Prince Edward Island, Canada, on 30 November 1874. Clara Woolner Macneill, died of tuberculosis when Maud was just 21 months old. Alexander and Lucy Macneill, in the rural Cavendish area of P.E.I.

Her early years were marked by solitude and introspection. As a child, she turned to books, nature, and her own imagination for companionship. She later described creating imaginary friends and “fairy rooms” as part of her inner world.

Youth and Education

From a young age, Montgomery showed literary ambition. By age 9 she had begun writing poetry and keeping a journal.

To further her career, she undertook a two-year teacher training program in Charlottetown, which she completed in one year. Dalhousie University in Halifax for a time.

Career and Achievements

Early Publishing & Teaching

After finishing her teacher training, Montgomery took on teaching posts in various schools across Prince Edward Island. Even though she did not find teaching wholly satisfying, it provided time and financial stability to write.

Starting in 1897, her short stories began to appear in magazines and newspapers. She built her literary reputation through prolific output of stories, essays, and poetry before her first novel.

Anne of Green Gables and Beyond

In June 1908, Montgomery published Anne of Green Gables, the first in what would become her signature series. The novel was an instant success and went through multiple printings in its first year. Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside.

Montgomery also turned to other series and stand-alone works. Notably:

• The Emily trilogy (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily’s Quest)

• The Pat novels (Pat of Silver Bush, Mistress Pat)

• The Story Girl, Jane of Lantern Hill, The Blue Castle, and others

Throughout her writing life, Montgomery’s output was prodigious: over 20 novels, about 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays.

Personal Life, Trials & Creative Struggle

In 1911, Montgomery married Ewen (Ewan) Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister, and moved to Ontario.

The couple lived in the Leaskdale manse for many years, where Montgomery continued to write. She often found tension between family duties, health difficulties (including depression), and her creative work.

In her later years, Montgomery moved to Toronto (Swansea area) and named her house Journey’s End. 24 April 1942, she passed away in Toronto; she was 67 years old.

Historical Context & Literary Significance

Montgomery wrote during a period when female authors in Canada and the wider English-speaking world often navigated gendered expectations. Her success helped carve out space for stories centered on young women, rural life, nature, and introspection in the early 20th century.

Her vivid depiction of Prince Edward Island landscapes and community life made the island itself an enduring literary locale. “Green Gables” and its settings have become pilgrimage sites for fans worldwide.

While Anne of Green Gables brought popular acclaim, she often felt constrained by being identified primarily with that character. Her writing beyond Anne—into Emily, Pat, and stand-alone works—reflects her desire to explore different facets of imagination, identity, and emotional complexity.

Legacy and Influence

Lucy Maud Montgomery remains one of Canada’s most widely read and beloved authors.

The L. M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island preserves her manuscripts, diaries, letters, and cultural legacy.

Her influence is cultural as well as literary: Anne of Green Gables has inspired stage shows, films, television series, and themed tourism. The image of Anne and her world has become embedded in Canadian identity and in the imaginations of readers globally.

Personality, Themes & Creative Vision

Montgomery was deeply introspective, imaginative, and emotionally sensitive. Her journals (published posthumously) show her inner struggles with mood, ambition, self-doubt, and the demands of domestic life.

Her writing is marked by:

• Nature and place: She often uses scenery, seasons, and landscapes not only as backdrop but as literary character.

• Imagination and the inner life: Many characters (Anne, Emily) experience “flashes” or creative revelations—moments when imagination connects with something transcendent.

• Emotional complexity: Her works don’t shy from melancholy, longing, loss, and the tension between expectation and reality.

• Belonging and identity: Anne’s quest for home, acceptance, and selfhood is central; Montgomery wove these themes through her life and writing.

Memorable Quotes

Here are select quotes attributed to Lucy Maud Montgomery:

1. “Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while.”

2. “I’m so thankful for friendship. It beautifies life so much.”

3. “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”

4. “We pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won, but exact their dues of work and self denial, anxiety and discouragement.”

5. “My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.”

6. “People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven’t you?”

7. “It’s not what the world holds for you. It is what you bring to it.”

8. “Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”

These lines reflect Montgomery’s love of imagination, her quiet strength, and her sensitivity to memory, possibility, and inner life.

Lessons from Lucy Maud Montgomery

1. Let imagination be your companion
   Even in solitude, Montgomery turned inward to find worlds to explore. Creativity often arises in unexpected silence.

2. Persistence amid struggle
   She juggled teaching, motherhood, health, and legal battles, yet kept writing—her determination shows how passion can endure adversity.

3. Root your stories in place
   Her intimate connection to Prince Edward Island gives her works a timeless sense of setting and belonging.

4. Evolve past your defining success
   Though Anne made her famous, she moved beyond that character to explore new voices, themes, and emotional landscapes.

5. Art and memory are intertwined
   Montgomery’s belief that remembering sustains what might otherwise be lost shows how literature can preserve inner lives.

Conclusion

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) remains an enduring literary figure whose words continue to resonate. Though often identified by her creation Anne of Green Gables, her full body of work reveals a writer grappling with beauty, longing, identity, and imagination. Her life—a mixture of creativity and constraint, joy and sorrow—mirrors the emotional light she brought to her stories.

If you’d like, I can also prepare a more detailed exploration of Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery’s journals, or her influence on Canadian literature. Do you want me to do that?