UPEI scholar appointed to Order of Canada for contributions to L.M. Montgomery's legacy

A Prince Edward Island academic who has just been named to the Order of Canada hopes the honour helps further cement the reputation of Island author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Epperly was made a member in the latest list for her contributions to elevating the works of Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables and many other novels published between 1908 and 1939.  

As a student, Epperly was part of the first cohort registered at the newly established UPEI in 1969 after the merger of Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan's University. She later taught at the university for 22 years, founded the L.M. Montgomery Institute, and became the first female president of UPEI.

Epperly said she sees her Order of Canada appointment as recognition for everyone who has worked to keep Montgomery's story alive. That includes the institute, UPEI and the MacNeill family, which runs the site of the Cavendish home where the author grew up.

"I think about those people and all of my colleagues, and mostly I think about how we need more attention on Montgomery always — and on her depth, and Prince Edward Island," Epperly told CBC's Island Morning.

Epperly and other new members of the Order will be invested and receive their insignia at a later date.

Breaking barriers

Originally from the United States, Epperly has a deep love for Montgomery's work that began when her father read Anne of Green Gables to her and her sister when she was about four years old.

"I just thought, 'That's where I am. That's where I belong.' And so that's how I ended up at the University of Prince Edward Island."

Island Morning7:39Elizabeth Epperly joins the Order of Canada

Elizabeth Epperly, former UPEI president and founder of the L.M. Montgomery Institute, joins us to share how it felt to receive the news that she has been named to the Order of Canada.

After completing her studies at UPEI, Epperly left the Island to continue her studies, eventually earning her PhD in English literature from Birkbeck College at the University of London in 1978. She later returned to the Island to teach at UPEI.

In April 1993, that's where she launched the L.M. Montgomery Institute, recognizing the need for a dedicated space not only to pay homage to the great writer, but also to provide a hub for scholars from Canada and abroad to study Montgomery's writings.

However, getting the institute off the ground was not easy.

"That's putting it mildly. Yes, a tougher sell, of course, just in the world, just in recognizing women in literature and taking that seriously," she said.

"When I was doing my graduate work… I couldn't do a graduate degree on Montgomery because they said that, you know, 'She's female, she wrote for children, and she's Canadian, my heavens. Why do you think any of those are important?'

"We've come a long, long way. And people, young scholars, don't even realize how far we've come."

More work left to do

Epperly is also the author of numerous books and articles on Montgomery's work, including The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass, originally published in 1992 as the first full-length critical study of the author's fiction.

"Even just the publishing of it made such a big deal for people... As one of the reviewers said at the time, just: 'Now, you can flaunt you're reading Montgomery. You don't have to hide it away when people come in the house and they think you're reading something that's not very serious," she said.

"It gave credibility to that and gave people a way to enter the conversation for many fans and scholars together."

We've come a long, long way. And people, young scholars, don't even realize how far we've come.— Elizabeth 'Betsy' Epperly

Despite much research on the author, Epperly said there is still much more to discover about Montgomery, given that her works span many genres and her interests extended beyond writing to include photography, scrapbooking and cooking.

"So many people do not recognize the depth of that woman's writing and the breadth of her interests," she said.

"And as more and more people realize how much she read, how much she thought, what she was actually engaged in, intellectually and emotionally, I think they recognize that this is [what] we're going to be discovering more and more."