NEWS
      &
      FEATURES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      L.M.
      Montgomery
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Institute
      opens
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      institute
      promotes
      appreciation
      of
      author’s
      work
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      new
      Lucy
      Maud
      Montgomery
      Insti-
     
    

    
     
      f
      tute,
      dedicated
      to
      the
      study
      and
      promo-
     
    

    
     
      tion
      of
      Montgomery
      and
      her
      literary
     
    

    
     
      works,
      was
      launched
      in
      late
      April
      of
      this
      year
      at
     
     
      the
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island.
     
    

    
     
      The
      project
      began
      with
      a
      report
      submitted
     
     
      to
      the
      university
      by
      professors
      F.W.P.
      Bolger,
     
     
      Robert
      Campbell,
      Beth
      Percival,
      and
      Elizabeth
     
     
      Epperly.
      Their
      recommendations
      for
      a
     
     
      Montgomery
      institute
      were
      approved
      by
      the
     
     
      university
      and
      passed
      on
      to
      the
      Social
      Sciences
     
     
      and
      Humanities
      Research
      Council
      of
      Canada
     
     
      (SSHRCC),
      which
      provided
      the
      bulk
      of
      the
     
     
      project’s
      funding
      ($21,463.00
      annually
      for
      three
     
     
      years),
      enabling
      the
      institute
      to
      open
      officially
     
     
      last
      spring.
      The
      launching
      party
      at
      the
      university
     
     
      drew
      a
      crowd
      of
      100
      to
      250
      people
      and
      gar-
     
     
      nered
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      local
      media
      attention,
     
     
      demonstrating
      the
      strong
      public
      interest
      in
      and
     
     
      affection
      for
      Montgomery
      and
      her
      works.
      “Peo-
     
     
      ple
      feel
      that
      this
      [the
      institute]
      is
      long
      overdue”,
     
     
      says
      Dr.
      Epperly,
      the
      chair
      of
      the
      L.M.
     
     
      Montgomery
      Institute
      Committee.
     
    

    
     
      Work
      on
      the
      institute’s
      projects
      is
      well
     
     
      underway,
      overseen
      by
      Epperly
      and
      by
      Doctor
     
     
      Claire
      Fawcett,
      who
      was
      hired
      as
      a
      coordinator
     
     
      and
      researcher
      for
      the
      institute.
      Fawcett
      also
     
     
      heads
      the
      institute’s
      “English
      as
      a
      Second
      Lan-
     
     
      guage”
      school
      aimed
      at
      Japanese
      students,
      run-
     
     
      ning
      from
      July
      31
      to
      August
      27
      on
      campus
      this
     
     
      summer.
      Fawcett,
      Epperly,
      and
      their
      associates
     
     
      are
      conducting
      interviews
      with
      persons
      linked
     
    

    
     
      “to
      Montgomery
      or
      her
      works,
      and
      are
      also
     
     
      soliciting
      Montgomery-related
      artifacts.
      Epperly
     
     
      herself
      intends
      to
      donate
      a
      photo
      album
      she
     
     
      recently
      acquired,
      its
      photos
      of
      Montgomery
     
     
      and
      her
      family
      dating
      back
      as
      far
      as
      1860.
     
    

    
     
      The
      institute
      already
      has
      access
      to
      a
      wealth
     
     
      of
      Montgomery
      materials
      in
      the
      university’s
     
     
      P.E.1.
      Collection.
      Items
      in
      storage
      include
      copies
     
     
      of
      some
      of
      Montgomery’s
      scrapbooks,
      letters,
     
     
      and
      postcards,
      and
      even
      flowers
      given
      to
      her
      as
     
     
      gifts,
      which
      she
      kept.
      Most
      importantly,
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4/X-Press/September
      16,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      collection
      includes
      first
      editions
      of
      all
     
     
      her
      novels
      except
      Anne
      of
      Green
     
     
      Gables.
     
    

    
     
      Epperly
      has
      access
      to
      still
      more
     
     
      material
      through
      the
      Confederation
     
     
      Centre
      of
      the
      Arts,
      which
      has
      hired
     
     
      her
      ona
      contract
      basis
      as
      the
      curator
     
     
      of
      the
      original
      LM.
      Montgomery
      manu-
     
     
      scripts
      in
      the
      Centre's
      collection.
      An
     
     
      exhibition
      of
      these
      works
      is
      planned,
     
     
      as
      is
      a
      catalogue.
      A
      major
      goal
      for
     
     
      Epperly
      and
      the
      institute
      is
      to
      create
      a
     
     
      permanent
      display
      space
      for
      these
     
     
      manuscripts,
      but
      that
      would
      require
     
     
      space
      that
      the
      institute
      does
      not
      have.
     
     
      For
      that
      matter,
      the
      institute
      has
      no
     
     
      official
      office
      space
      as
      of
      yet.
     
    

    
     
      Though
      the
      institute
      is
      active,
     
     
      Epperly
      explains
      that
      “in
      Montgomery
     
     
      terms,
      the
      institute
      is
      a
      ‘blue
      castle.”
     
     
      That
      is,
      it
      does
      not
      really
      exist
      in
      the
     
     
      sense
      that
      it
      has
      no
      offices
      of
      its
      own,
     
     
      and
      no
      funds
      with
      which
      to
      buy
      or
      rent
     
     
      in
      the
      foreseeable
      future.
      The
      bulk
      of
     
     
      the
      institute’s
      funding
      goes
      toward
      a
     
     
      salary
      for
      its
      coordinator
      (Fawcett),
     
     
      and
      Epperly
      says
      that
      the
      “pitiful
      bit
      left
     
     
      [over]
      from
      that”
      will
      be
      used
      to
     
     
      promote
      an
      upcoming
      international
     
     
      symposium
      on
      Montgomery
      to
      be
      held
     
     
      on
      campus
      June
      23
      to
      26,
      with
      presentations
      by
     
     
      internationally
      recognized
      Montgomery
      schol-
     
     
      ars.
     
    

    
     
      The
      institute
      hopes
      to
      eventually
      gather
     
     
      enough
      backing
      to
      become
      financially
      self-suffi-
     
     
      cient
      within
      the
      next
      three
      years,
      before
      the
     
     
      initial
      SSHRCC
      grant
      runs
      out.
     
    

    
     
      Beyond
      space
      requirements
      and
      financial
     
     
      goals,
      the
      institute
      is
      for
      now
      concerning
      itself
     
     
      with
      its
      chief
      mission,
      the
      promotion
      and
      study
     
     
      of
      Montgomery’s
      works.
      Montgomery
      has
      in
     
     
      recent
      years
      attained
      greater
      scholarly
      credibil-
     
     
      ity
      than
      she
      once
      had,
      having
      been
      dismissed
      by
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Elizabeth
     
     
      boy
      Te
      mel
     
     
      the
      L.M.
     
     
      Montgomery
     
     
      Marya
      haine
     
     
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      many
      in
      the
      pastas
      a
      children’s
      writer
      or
      popular
     
     
      novelist.
      Epperly
      credits
      Montgomery’s
      new
     
     
      respectability
      to
      the
      women’s
      movement
      and
     
     
      “the
      reassessment
      of
      the
      [literary]
      canon”,
     
     
      specifically
      a
      greater
      appreciation
      for
      the
      signifi-
     
     
      cance
      of
      Montgomery’s
      impact
      as
      an
      enor-
     
     
      mously
      influential
      presence
      in
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      literary
      landscape.
      Epperly
      hopes
      to
      strengthen
     
     
      this
      presence
      through
      the
      activities
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “institute,
      and
      despite
      limited
      funds
      and
      lack
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      office
      space
      the
      project
      is
      well
      on
      its
      way
      to
     
     
      achieving
      its
      goals.
     
     
      SEAN
      MCQUAID