Children's Literature Association Quarterly

Marjorie Richardson's story "Launcelot's Tower" and L. M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables have child characters who read, imitate, and rewrite Arthurian pre-texts; Richardson's Susan Briggs and Montgomery's Anne Shirley imitate Elaine of Astolat and thus certain conventions of appropriate feminine behavior, but because they then reject Elaine as an icon of femininity, these authors raise questions about women's roles in traditional romance narratives. Richardson's and Montgomery's texts thus demonstrate the potential of "reading" as a critical and imaginative activity; they suggest the power of readers—even child readers—to construct meaningful self-narratives.