Kindred Spirits: The works of LM Montgomery

[dwanollah]

Every time I re-read The Blue Castle, I'm aware that as a cynic and, perhaps even as a feminist, I shouldn't love it so damned much, but... but I DO!

Actually, Valancy is a really interesting character from a feminist perspective. She's perhaps the most active of all of Montgomery's heroines.

[Auroranorth]

I never saw The Blue Castle as anti-feminist. Valency goes after what she wants and gets it. What she wants is a husband and a life. Nothing wrong with that.

[dwanollah]

I've actually been pondering writing a critical paper on that very thing for the last half-hour. I guess it's that, by general standards, the ending is SO unrealistic and "typical romance novel" that it's easy to read (misread?) it as anti-feminist. But really, Valancy breaks all sorts of traditions and is incredibly strong, assertive, dynamic and again, active.

This book is almost completely untouched critically, too.

(I think my favorite scene is when she goes after her old rosebush with the clippers. Such a shame that a scene like that turned into Mommie Dearest in pop culture!)

[proper stranger]

I re-read The Blue Castle last week. I love it so.

One of my favorite parts is the family dinner party that Valancy attends right after she is diagnosed with her heart disease. She finally tells everyone exactly what she thinks and they think that she's gone out of her mind. The chapter ends with an almost-throwaway line about one uncle who thinks the party got a lot duller after Valancy left.

At this point in my life, if I found an actual Barney, I'd jump on that...even if his name was actually "plain old unromantic" Barney.

I remember reading a Colleen McCullough novella that was almost EXACTLY like The Blue Castle. Same plot, character types...everything. Not as good as Montgomery's original, though.

ETA: Now I'm going to think of Faye in the kabuki mask whenever I read the rosebush bit. Thaaaanks. ("Cousin Stickles, BRING ME THE AXE!!!!")

[dwanollah]

What if his last name was Snaith?

[proper stranger]

Would it be his real name or an alias? ;D

[dwanollah]

Who cares, as long as you could drive a couple towns over for chop suey and then run out of gas, huh?

ETA: Now I'm going to think of Faye in the kabuki mask whenever I read the rosebush bit. Thaaaanks. ("Cousin Stickles, BRING ME THE AXE!!!!")

Oh yeah! "Eat the oatmeal porridge, Doss. It has vitamins."

[Auroranorth]

Go for it, Dwan! I'd love to read it.

properstranger said:

I remember reading a Colleen McCullough novella that was almost EXACTLY like The Blue Castle. Same plot, character types...everything. Not as good as Montgomery's original, though.

The Ladies of Missalonghi. Not a bad book, but Montgomery did it better.

[linared]

Dwan, you should definitely write about The Blue Castle. I would love to read it.

Valancy is my favorite LM character because I aspire to be like her. I know the ending is unrealistic but I like to look at it as Valancy's fairy tale reward for being brave.

I just realized that at the end of the book, when she and Barney reunite, he tells her that she should get her portrait painted by that famous painter (Teirney?). I like this little detail because it amuses me to think how pissed her cousin Olive would be. I hate Olive.

I was re-reading my copy of Anne of the Island and I realized that the book illustration actually spoil the end. Of course I knew what was going to happen but it was funny to be reading about Anne's one relationship and have a picture with a caption that discusses another relationship.

[bossyboots]

The Blue Castle is my favourite LMM book after Anne of Green Gables. I second the notion of Dwan writing a critical paper on it, provided we get to read it when it's done.

You're absolutely right that Valancy was very much a feminist in her resolve to get what she wanted, regardless of what was expected of her owing to her "illness." The ending was a bit romance novel-y (Hey, whaddaya know! Barney is rich!) but no less satisfying with multiple readings.

And really, how could you not love a book where a character is named Cousin Stickles?