| dc.description.abstract | L.M. Montgomery may be viewed as a subversive author, rebelling against patriarchal
authority. She employed the conventions of the courtship or domestic novel of popular fiction as
a vehicle by which to challenge existing gender roles. Montgomery recognized that tales of
perfect love and happily-ever-after were not a part of most women's reality. However, the market
demanded these happy stories. Consequently, Montgomery was motivated to create a fiction
which would combine the fantasy of happily-ever-after with her perception of reality. She
arranged romantic marriages for her heroines for those readers who wanted this message, but she
also established a counter-discourse which suggests that marriage, ultimately, can be entrapping
for a young woman. These stories could simultaneously satisfy the reader and question
assurances of the heroine's future happiness.
On a superficial level, the resolutions of these novels seem to assert the value of romantic
love. However, the 'happily-ever-after' ending fails to satisfy, as in each case the heroine's
marriage also marks the necessity of leaving behind something essential to both her identity and
her happiness. Thus, Montgomery questions society's emphasis upon romance as the greatest
fulfilment for women. In the novels, the young woman's desire for respect and equality comes
into conflict with a romantic world view.
I have selected five novels in which Montgomery addresses the critical issues of identity
and equality. In each of these, the development of character and the resolution of the heroine's
romance address how courtship and the promise of marriage challenge the integrity of the
heroine's identity. A close examination of these narratives reveals that Montgomery's apparent
focus upon love and romance does not preclude the absence o f a deeper, shadowy meaning about
the hazards of male-female relationships. | |
