Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2023: #MARM

Naomi

Nov 30

My goal for MARM this year was to start tackling the big book of Burning Questions. I now present to you my findings (and thoughts) in the order in which I found them (and thought them).

Upon opening Burning Questions and checking out the extensive Table of Contents, I skimmed it to see if any of the titles jumped out at me. It will come as no surprise to you that the first essay I read was "Anne of Green Gables." Not only because I'm a fan and was curious to see what MA had to say about her, but also because I've been re-reading two of LMM's books this month with Sarah and so had her on my mind. (Note: MA and LMM are the only two authors I refer to on my blog by their initials because they appear in my writing so much that I've gotten tired of writing out their names and assume that everyone by now knows who they are by their initials. And here they are, together!)

MA wrote about Anne of Green Gables in 2008 to commemorate its 100th anniversary. I was worried MA would be hard on Anne, but even she can't say anything bad about the red-headed heroine. She does, however, make a bit of fun of all that has come of Anne, which she calls "Annery." But one can hardly blame her for that. There are so many movies, TV shows, plays, and merchandise available to buy and consume, all thanks to Anne, and even I am not a fan of much of it. (Just don't knock the 1985 Kevin Sullivan TV adaptation.)

MA talks about how a more realistic story about a badly-treated orphan would have made a much different book, that part of the book's success is due to "the rainbow-coloured, dove-winged Godlet of the Heart's Desire." But she goes on to say that "this in itself would hardly be enough... The thing that distinguishes Anne from so many "girls' books" of the first half of the twentieth century is its dark underside: this is what gives Anne its frenetic, sometimes quasi-hallucinatory energy, and what makes its heroine's idealism and indignation so poignantly convincing." This dark side, of course, coming from "the hidden life of Anne's author, L.M. Montgomery."

I totally agree with MA's suggestion that another way of reading Anne of Green Gables is to assume that the central character is Marilla Cuthbert and that "Anne is the catalyst who allows the crisp, rigid Marilla to finally express her long-buried softer human emotions." Marilla has become so much more interesting to me since reading the book as an adult.

I have a very important question for you that has arisen from this essay, specifically from this line: "As a child reader, I felt about these later books much as I felt about Wendy growing up at the end of Peter Pan: I didn't want to know." I have heard this same sentiment from many other readers, as well. Am I the only one on the planet who wanted always to read more about Anne? Who wanted to know what her life as an adult would be like, how many children she would have, what she would name them? As Sara Ray would say, I want to know what happens next!

On a more serious note, the next essay I read was "Am I Bad Feminist?." I have read it before and wanted to re-visit it. This essay was written as a response to backlash MA received on social media about her stance on an issue I have no interest in writing about. But here is my chance to say that she's my hero for writing this essay.

This led very naturally to the essay titled "Tell. The. Truth." which was written (as a speech?) in response to being awarded the CHS Burke Medal and in which she imparts some words of wisdom to her audience. And, I believe, she alludes to the aforementioned incident (the one I do not wish to write about) when she says "You need to be prepared to back up your facts because if you say something that is not popular, you will surely be attacked."

And now for the annual Margaret Atwood Fun Facts:

1.In 1969, Margaret Atwood held a book signing in the men's socks and underwear department at The Bay. (Seth Myers Interview May 2023)

2. Margaret Atwood finds the most challenging aspect of writing to be writing "something that surprises me, the writer, and therefore, I hope, you, the reader." (Waltzing Again interview 1986)

3. MA's late husband, Graeme Gibson, once rescued a parrot from Mexico, brought it home as a pet, and named it Harold Wilson. You can hear more about some of the trouble it caused here. (The Current 2021)

4. During Lockdown, MA spent her time sewing face masks with her sister, making fire starters out of dryer lint, and "squirrel foiling." (The Irish Times 2020)

5. About 15 years ago, Rick Mercer was able to convince Margaret to make a "Celebrity Tip Hockey Goalie Video." You can watch it here.

Margaret Atwood Quote of the Year: "When you're over 80, you can just have more fun." (BBC News Night interview March 2023)