Anne as Pagan, Anne as Queer

Anne as Pagan, Anne as Queer

‘Anne as Pagan, Anne as Queer’ is a critical and creative answer to the question: How do we construct Anne Shirley, and what does she mean to us? This creative research submission is a work of fanfiction, specifically a mash up based on Anne of the Island, L.M.M. Montgomery’s sequel to Anne of Green Gables. In this short work of fiction (under 4 thousand words) Anne is revealed as a changeling, one of the Faerie Folk, and also a being not strictly male or female; sometimes neither, sometimes both. The mash up is based on the last two chapters of Anne of the Island, the scenes in which Gilbert Blythe is seriously ill and Anne realises she loves him. This realisation causes Anne, in this version, to reveal to Gilbert that she is both non-human and not a girl, and to use Faerie magic to save Gilbert’s life. Anne’s revelation causes Gilbert a great relief, as he has been keeping a secret also - that he too is queer. The piece has an accompanying research statement and reflection, that reflects on the ways the contributor/author interprets Anne, as a being troubled by gender, and not strictly gender conforming. The much-loved scene from Anne of Green Gables in which Anne realises she is not wanted by the Cuthberts because she is not a boy is inserted into the mash up (as a memory) as this scene is the principal cause for the contributor’s identification with Anne as a gender non-conforming figure who resists gender expectations. Overall, this creative and critical work and reflection queers both Anne as a character and the Anne of the Island novel.

Book chapter - work of fiction with a critical reflective essay

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