Abstract

The publication of The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery, the first volume of which appeared in 1985, has inspired a surge of critical interest in the life and works of L. M. Montgomery. Although one of the most interesting areas of study resulting from the publication of the journals is the relationship between Montgomery's journals and her fiction, little has been actually written on this subject. Realizing that her journals might be published after her death, Montgomery herself prepared them for publication. She recopied and revised her journals and gave directives to her descendants regarding their eventual publication, The journals, therefore, cannot be studied only within the genre of the private diary. The literary value of Montgomery's journals must also be considered. During the 1920s, L. M. Montgomery wrote a trilogy dealing with a young orphan named Emily. These three novels are considered by Montgomery and her critics to be the most autobiographical of Montgomery's fiction. Because of the autobiographical nature of these novels, it is important to study them side by side with Montgomery's journals. This thesis examines the relationship between Montgomery's journals and the Emily trilogy as well as the relationship between the Emily trilogy and The Blue Castle, a novel written between Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest. In this way, Montgomery's conflicting identities, as revealed in her private and public work, are examined