Point of View

"Anne of Avonlea" is written from the point-of-view of a third-person omniscient narrator, which means that the narrator knows the inner thoughts of all of the characters. While the narration adheres closely to Anne's internal life, revealing her thoughts, dreams, and fantasies, the narrator occasionally gives the reader glimpses into other characters' thoughts in to expose their motivations and feelings. The novel contains long scenes of dialogue, allowing each character to divulge his or her thoughts in his or her uniquely expressive voice.

Occasionally, the third person narrator slips into the first person. For example, Anne and Diana reminisce about an incident when Anne jumped on a bed occupied by Diana's Aunt Josephine, and the narrator says, "Both girls laughed over the old memory...concerning which, if any of my readers are ignorant and curious, I must refer them to Anne's earlier history." (Page 152) This memory...