Anne of Avonlea
frontispiece
"to my former teacher HATTIE GORDON SMITH
in grateful remembrance of her sympathy and encouragement"
"Flowers spring to blossom where she walks
The careful ways of duty,
Our hard, stiff lines of life with her
Are flowing curves of beauty".
-WHITTIER
Miss Stacy, in Anne of Avonlea, was based on LM Montgomery's beloved teacher, Hattie Gordon. My latest viewing of Sullivan's Anne II on PBS has brought the transparency of Miss Stacy's character to the forefront of my awareness concerning Montgomery's mindset at the time of writing the Anne series.
Miss Hattie was indeed an important, real figure in the memories of childhood, and Montgomery breathed life into her again in the penning of "Anne of Avonlea."
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