from Anne of Avonlea

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

Respond to this quote in what way you wish:

(regarding Miss Lavendar Lewis)
"I think her parents gave her the only right and fitting name that could possible be given her," said Anne. If they had been so blind as to name her Elizabeth or Nellie or Muriel, she must have been called Lavendar just the same, I think. Its so suggestive of and old-fashioned graces and 'silk attire'. Now, my name just smacks of bread and butter, patchwork and chores.
Oh, I don't think so," said Diana. Anne seems to me real stately and like a queen. But I'd like Kerrenhappuch if it happened to be your name. I think people make their names nice or ugly just by what they are themselves. I can't bear Josie or Gertie for names now but before I knew the Pye girls I thought them real pretty"

By the way, I just love the way L.M. Montgomery writes. She writes exactly the way I feel sometimes, but she makes it sound so lovely that I wish I had come up with the words for it myself.

Comments

[calamitysxchild.livejournal.com]

I love those books, but that quote makes me sad because my nickname is Josie :(

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the name Josie for the longest time (from reading Anne of Green Gables, haha!) but now it's one of my favorites.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

First off: I LOVE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES :).

Secondly: I agree with her sentiments with the names. I know I have certain names that I associate with people, and although I could never therefore name my kids, but they do bring pleasant associations because of the people I know.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I tend to agree. There have been many names that I was indifferent to, or even disliked, but meeting someone really awesome with that name changed my opinion of it.

I think another example would be the name 'Irene'. Most people think of it as an 'old-lady' name, but the only Irene I ever knew was the same age as me. She was young, pretty, nice, fun, etc. So to me, the name Irene always seemed youthful and lovely.

[twister-pants.livejournal.com]

First of all: Anne Shirley has been my best friend since I was 11. L.M. Montgomery <3 I need to read Emily of New Moon. I've had the series since about the same age, but I never read them... probably because I was too afraid that I *might* like it more than Anne. That doesn't seem possible, but I didn't want to risk it haha.

And I completely agree with the passage. I used to pretend my name was Rachel when I played house with my friends. Then I moved to a new school, and there was a girl there who was most certainly a Josie Pye.

[twister-pants.livejournal.com]

I mean to finish with "ever since then. I couldn't stand the name. Maybe if I met someone else named Rachel who was nice, I could change my prejudice haha."

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

I think Anne's such a pretty name ... in part because of these books. Diana too, although I didn't like it for the longest time. Miss Lavender couldn't have been named anything else, although I don't love the name. I find it amusing how she puts Josie and Gertie in the same category, when they're so different to me ... despite Josie Pye, I think Josie is really pretty and young-sounding, whereas Gertie (Gertrude) definitely isn't.

I remember another passage, this one from Anne of Green Gables, in which she talks about how she's glad her parents were named Walter and Bertha, and that her father didn't have a name like Jedidiah or something hehe. I like Walter, but not Bertha, and I kind of like Jedidiah too.

[soulsplinter8.livejournal.com]

What a great passage! I am actually just re-reading Anne of Green Gables for the first time in years.

I think Anne is absolutely right. I have had so many beautiful names ruined for me by ugly people (and by ugly, I mean internally). Likewise, I love quite a few names I might never have thought twice about because I have known wonderful people with those names (or have favorite characters from books with those names, etc.).

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I think people make their names nice or ugly just by what they are themselves.

Interesting! Generally, I agree with that. Only when I really, REALLY hate a name, nothing will change it, not even a person I like.
On the other hand, if I like a person and he/she has a great name too, I usually start to like the name even more.

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit funny to quote L. M. Montgomery in this community and not mention Magic for Marigold.

"If Leander's name had been almost anything else she might have
been named for her father," said Great-Uncle Walter. "Roberta--
Georgina--Johanna--Andrea--Stephanie--Wilhelmina--"

"Or Davidena," said Uncle Klon. But Great-Uncle Walter ignored
him.

"You can't make anything out of a name like LEANDER. Whatever did
you call him that for, Marian?"

"His grandfather named him after him who swam the Hellespont," said
Young Grandmother as rebukingly as if she had not, thirty-five
years before, cried all one night because Old Grandfather had given
her baby such a horrid name.

"She might be called Hero," said Uncle Klon.

"We had a dog called that once," said Old Grandmother.

"Leander didn't tell you before he died that he wanted any special
name, did he, Lorraine?" inquired Aunt Nina.

"No," faltered Lorraine. "He--he had so little time to tell me--
anything."

The clan frowned at Nina as a unit. They thought she was very
tactless. But what could you expect of a woman who wrote poetry
and peddled it about the country? WRITING it might have been
condoned--and concealed. After all, the Lesleys were not
intolerant and everybody had some shortcomings. But SELLING it
openly!

"I should like baby to be called Gabriella," persisted Nina.

"There has never been such a name among the Lesleys," said Old
Grandmother. And that was THAT.

"I think it's time we had some new names," said the poetess
rebelliously. But every one looked stony, and Nina began to cry.
She cried upon the slightest provocation. Lorraine remembered that
Leander had always called her Mrs. Gummidge.

"Come, come," said Old Grandmother, "surely we can name this baby
as well comfortably as uncomfortably. Don't make the mistake,
Nina, of thinking that you are helping things along by making a
martyr of yourself."

"What do YOU think, Miss Silversides?" inquired Uncle Charlie, who
thought Salome was being entirely ignored and didn't like it.

"Oh, it doesn't matter what _I_ think. _I_ am of no consequence,"
said Salome, ostentatiously helping herself to the pickles.

"Come, come, now, you're one of the family," coaxed Uncle Charlie,
who knew--so he said--how to handle women.

"Well"--Salome relaxed because she was really dying to have her say
in it--"I've always thought names that ended in 'ine' were so
elegant. MY choice would be Rosaline."

"Or Evangeline," said Great-Uncle Walter.

"Or Eglantine," said Aunt Marcia eagerly.

"Or Gelatine," said Uncle Klon.

There was a pause.

"Juno would be such a nice name," said Cousin Teresa.

"But we are Presbyterians," said Old Grandmother.

"Or Robinette," suggested Uncle Charlie.

"We are English," said Young Grandmother.

"I think Yvonne is such a romantic name," said Aunt Flora.

"Names have really nothing to do with romance," said Uncle Klon.
"The most thrilling and tragic love affair I ever knew was between
a man named Silas Twingletoe and a woman named Kezia Birtwhistle.
It's my opinion children shouldn't be named at all. They should be
numbered until they're grown up, then choose their own names."