stripe Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Some of the stories are delightful, others pretty good, but these volumes should be pre-read as there are a couple stories (and only a couple) with racist content and which do not, IMHO, possess sufficient merit to read in spite of this. I'll look up the story titles later. There are some racist elements in Anne too. Including against gypsies, Italians, and French Canadians. Mostly voiced by Marilla. According to a site I found that seems to be a forum for white pride of some sort, white people love Anne because she lives in a non-diverse society which they secretly long for. I am not providing a link bc of the content of the site. I read Looking for Anne of Green Gables, by Irene Gammel, which delves into Montgomery's own views; apparently they were essentially the same as were voiced by Marilla. I don't think I've read the Tangled Web, but this review sites some interesting asides about First Nations members and black people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 There are some racist elements in Anne too. Including against gypsies, Italians, and French Canadians. Mostly voiced by Marilla. According to a site I found that seems to be a forum for white pride of some sort, white people love Anne because she lives in a non-diverse society which they secretly long for. I am not providing a link bc of the content of the site. That's interesting because Anne herself would have been literally marked as an outsider because of her red hair and grey/green eyes (even as they marked her as a descendent of the Franks, and therefore "pure"). I read Looking for Anne of Green Gables, by Irene Gammel, which delves into Montgomery's own views; apparently they were essentially the same as were voiced by Marilla. I don't think I've read the Tangled Web, but this review sites some interesting asides about First Nations members and black people. After reading "Tannis of the Flats," I don't doubt it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Some anti-Catholic sentiments also appear in her work. Not surprising, considering the bias against Italians and the French. :glare: I don't think I've read the Tangled Web, but this review sites some interesting asides about First Nations members and black people. Now, this I had forgotten about so thanks for the review. I always skip the Big Sam/Little Sam storyline when I read A Tangled Web since it's weak and irritating in general. It's also interesting to note that it was recycled from a short story (several novels are like that), and I think the short story was actually *less* offensive. I'm going to have to dig through the short story collections now to verify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) One example is Marilla's reaction when Anne dyes her hair (emphasis mine). "But I didn't mean to dye it green, Marilla," protested Anne dejectedly. "If I was wicked I meant to be wicked to some purpose. He said it would turn my hair a beautiful raven black—he positively assured me that it would. How could I doubt his word, Marilla? I know what it feels like to have your word doubted. And Mrs. Allan says we should never suspect anyone of not telling us the truth unless we have proof that they're not. I have proof now—green hair is proof enough for anybody. But I hadn't then and I believed every word he said IMPLICITLY." "Who said? Who are you talking about?" "The peddler that was here this afternoon. I bought the dye from him." "Anne Shirley, how often have I told you never to let one of those Italians in the house ! I don't believe in encouraging them to come around at all." "Oh, I didn't let him in the house. I remembered what you told me, and I went out, carefully shut the door, and looked at his things on the step. Besides, he wasn't an Italian—he was a German Jew .... That's interesting because Anne herself would have been literally marked as an outsider because of her red hair and grey/green eyes (even as they marked her as a descendent of the Franks, and therefore "pure"). And Rachel Lynde is certainly the mouthpiece for xenophobia and the "orphans are dangerous" rhetoric. Edited July 9, 2012 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) Well, so far, I'm enjoying the book, but given the most recent comments in this thread, I have to say, the first chapter had me looking up what a "Barnado boy" was, due to Marilla's comment, "They may be all right-I'm not saying they're not-but no London street Arabs for me." :tongue_smilie: There was also, "those stupid, half-grown little French boys". That just kind of surprised me in the first chapter and it gave me a bit of an icky feeling. I pictured AoGG being all cozy and sweet and the immediate introduction of fairly blatant xenophobia was disappointing. Edited July 9, 2012 by sparrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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