"Reaching beyond the Word": Religious Themes as "Deep Structure" in the "Anne" Books of L.M. Montgomery

Abstract

Résumé: L'auteur soutient que les convictions religieuses de L.M. Montgomery peuvent expliquer la structure narrative "profonde" de ses oeuvres narratives. Empruntant sa méthodologie à des théoriciens comme Mieke Bal, Mikhaïl Bakhtine et Paul Ricoeur, elle s'attache à démontrer que, dans quatre des romans-clés, la densité métaphorique s'appuie sur une spiritualité se percevant tel "un palimpseste caché sous les strates de sens qui fondent le récit." Summary: This article argues that Montgomery's system of religious belie/provides the "deep structure" which gives her novels thematic consistency, inspiring the poetics of setting, the actions of characters, and the dynamics of narrative. Using literary theorists such as Mieke Bal, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Paul Ricoeur, as well as religious philosophers such as Martin Heidegger and Kevin Hart, Rosemary Johnston then gives close readings of four key Montgomery novels, demonstrating how they illustrate her thesis that Montgomery's books ground their meaning and metaphorical layers on spirituality, and that, in general, "Ideologies are the rich palimpsest beneath the layers of meaning that make up story."