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About the Conference

The University of Guelph and L.M. Montgomery

The University of Guelph owns the largest, most comprehensive and significant collection of archival material and personal artifacts documenting the life and works of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Highlights include her private journals, scrapbooks, handiwork, photographs, short stories, letters, and financial records. Countless international scholars have used the collection to produce a wide variety of scholarly works that not only focus on her published works, but that document the life of an early (woman) Canadian writer.

The range of research publications includes the challenges and successes in her personal and professional life, what she has contributed to Canadian culture, as well as to the perception of Canadian culture from abroad, how her writings have shaped the development of girls and young women in Canada and abroad over the past 100 years.

The Conference

In 2008, the University of Guelph will host a major conference to celebrate the life and influence of Lucy Maud Montgomery, whose classic Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. The university will showcase its extensive collection of Montgomery memorabilia — including her private journals, scrapbooks, handiwork, photographs, and other records. Examine the collections first-hand and explore her impact on readers, writers, and women in the 20th century. Join with Canada’s foremost Montgomery scholars, biographers, enthusiasts, and fans to recognize her world-wide legacy and explore the mystery of her creativity.

L. M. Montgomery lived most of her adult life in Ontario, and our archival holdings reveal the realities of her life. Her novels weave those realities into worlds that have enchanted millions of readers and influenced later writers in Canada and around the world. Montgomery’s writings have indelibly shaped Canadian culture, influencing how we see ourselves and how others see us.

A unique combination of lectures, performances, films, music, tours, and exhibitions will make this conference a true reflection of the power of Montgomery’s pen. Join us October 23-26, 2008, for From Canada to the World: The Cultural Influence of L.M. Montgomery.