The Intimate Life of L.M. Montgomery

by Irene Gammel (Editor)

Who ultimately is L.M. Montgomery, and why was there such an obsession with secrecy, hiding, and encoding in her life and fiction? Delving into the hidden life of Canada's most enigmatic writer, The Intimate Life of L.M. Montgomery answers these questions. The eleven essays illuminate Montgomery's personal writings and photographic self-portraits and probe the ways in which she actively shaped her life as a work of art. This is the first book to investigate Montgomery's personal writings, which filled thousands of pages in journals and a memoir, correspondence, scrapbooks, and photography. Using theories of autobiography and life writing, the essays probe the author's flair for the dramatic and her exuberance in costuming, while also exploring the personal facts behind some of her fiction, including the beloved Anne of Green Gables. Focussing on topics such as sexuality, depression, marriage, aging, illness, and writing, the essays strip away the layers of art and artifice that disguised Montgomery's most intensely guarded secrets, including details of her affair with Herman Leard, her marriage with Ewen Macdonald, and her friendships with Nora Lefurgey and Isabel Anderson. The book also includes rare photographs taken by Montgomery and others, many of which have not previously appeared in print. One of the highlights of The Intimate Life of L.M. Montgomery is the inclusion of a secret diary that Montgomery wrote with Lefurgey in 1903. This hilarious document is a rare find, for Montgomery's teasing banter presents us with a new voice that is distinct from the sombre tone of her journals. Published here for the first time, more than 100 years after its composition, this diary is virtually unknown to readers and scholars and is a welcome addition to the literature on this important figure. This volume fills in many of the blanks surrounding Montgomery's personal life. Engaging and erudite, it is a boon for scholars and Montgomery fans alike.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Canada

305 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2005

About the author

Irene Gammel is a literary historian, biographer, and curator. Gammel teaches at Ryerson University in Toronto. She holds the Canada Research Chair in Modern Literature and Culture and is the Director of the Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre.

Gammel holds a PhD (1992) and MA (1987) in English from McMaster University, and a Staatsexamen’s degree from the Universität des Saarlandes in Germany. She taught at the University of Prince Edward Island and held Visiting Professorships at the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and Erfurt Universität in Germany. She also served as the President of the Canadian Comparative Literature Association. In 2009, she was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

Reviews

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good section of this book concerns itself with the discovery of a "secret" diary Montgomery kept with Nora Lefrugey. You get the impression upon reading the essays and the excerpts that the editors got caught up in the thrill of finding this out, and didn't quite stop to realize that this wasn't always as interesting as they'd like. It is interesting to see the "jollier" side of L.M.M., and gives some insight into how she existed in her friendships, but it takes up a large section of this book.

The essay on Herman Leard and body confessions was a favorite of mine, and recommended for anyone who read those passages in her 1880-1910 diaries. There's a particularly interesting section on the discussion of the language of Victorian eroticism, and how L.M.M. uses that. It's a good textual analysis tied to biography. Similiarly, the essay on consumption was also excellent.

The section on the scrapbooks was more of interest to me than the secret diary. Again, the textual analysis really shines here, and it's appropriate since so much of what L.M.M. wrote was geared towards publication.

There are some good, solid pieces in here that would definitely be of interest to a Montgomery scholar. The editing is a bit shaky-- the book doesn't feel terribly cohesive, and the first section should have either been expanded into its own book or cut.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I doubt most people without a nerdy interest in L. M. Montgomery would be tempted to pick this up in the first place, which is good because I wouldn't recommend it for the casual reader. I was disappointed in the first few articles which didn't seem to contribute anything not already common sense. The later themes and articles were more interesting but still pretty small scale in their conclusions.

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gammel's analysis of life writing and how to write a 'biography' is useful. The author provides certain implications of Montgomery's sexuality that feel a bit underdeveloped at times but are appreciated nonetheless.

[Mina Gharres · Rating 3 out of 5]

a sweet and well researched selection of essays

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of engaging essays analyzing multiple aspects of Montgomery's life, literary process and accomplishments--based on the 67-page "secret diary" printed here for the first time; her life as it is known; her fiction and poetry; her personal journals; and her photographic self-portraits. Editor Irene Gammel with a dozen contributors have ensured that each essay is equally enjoyable and full of insightful analysis, with the additional benefit of photographs throughout the volume. Whether the reader has just a beginning acquaintance with Montgomery or is well-versed in her biography and the various literary analyses of her life and works, this volume should satisfy.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the most interesting things in Looking for Anne were the bits about Maud and her girlfriends, so I was looking forward to reading the unedited diary she shared with Nora. Overall....meh. The contrast between her silly, flirty journal and her very depressed personal journal was definitely more interesting than the silly, flirty journal itself. The following essays were mixed in value. Some analysis was definitely interesting and others seemed there for filler.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I like this book, I wrote a chapter in it.
It's a summary of some of my original research on L.M. Montgomery. I am active in our LMM Literary Society, and publish The Shining Scroll]

I've also contributed information for the editors of LMM's journals, which are excellent. So, read Gammel's books, Rubio and Waterston's books, and Epperly's books to learn all about LMM!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an essay published in this book, but I had never bothered to read the book. Some interesting stuff, but I have to admit there's a reason why I switched from being an English major to a history major.