Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu The Flu and the Author of Anne of Green Gables

I began researching the author of Anne of Green Gables for this article. The author’s name is Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), but she went by Maud. She was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada. P.E.I., as the island is often called, is well known for its natural beauty. P.E.I. is a popular vacation spot. It is also the setting for Maud’s book. My research taught me something unexpected about the life and times of Maud Montgomery. I learned that people feared the u then like they fear Ebola today. That’s right, the u. Nearly everyone Maud loved died of the u. Today we don’t think much of the flu. After all, it no longer kills healthy that it spreads easily. It spreads through adults in a matter of hours. The flu still the air via coughs and sneezes. kills between one-quarter to one-half million people each year worldwide. The flu spreads so quickly that it can Far more people died from the u each cause an epidemic. An epidemic is an year in Maud’s lifetime. outbreak across a region or country. The flu can also become a pandemic. So what is the flu? Well, rstly, flu is This is a worldwide outbreak. short for influenza. And, secondly, it’s nothing unusual. It’s a virus. It usually One of the worst flu pandemics took gives you a stuffy nose, a cough, a sore place in Maud’s lifetime. It was called throat, and a fever. It also makes your the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. It body ache. The thing about the flu is lasted for two years. This strain of

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu the flu was nicknamed the Spanish the deadliest war on record. Somehow, Influenza. It could kill you within war still seems far more dangerous hours of your rst symptom. Literally. than any little flu virus should be. And A person could start to cough or sneeze yet it wasn’t. on his way to work in the morning. He Maud lost a lot of friends and loved- would be dead on the job a few hours ones to the Spanish influenza. It might later. People were dying in the streets. be an exaggeration to say it was almost In all, the Spanish Influenza killed everyone she knew, but it sure was a lot 20–50 million people. It’s said that it of people. Her good friend, Will, died got this name because 8 million people in 1897. Her boyfriend, Herman, died died in one month in Spain in the early from the u in 1899. Maud, herself, days of the pandemic. nearly died from the Spanish influenza in 1918. She wrote in her diary about World War I (1914–1918) likely helped the panic in Canada surrounding the spread this deadly flu. This war was flu and the large numbers of people the rst time so many people from who got sick. all over the world came into contact with each other at the same time. Also, Maud lost her best friend, Frederica, battleelds and army hospitals were to the Spanish influenza in 1919. The breeding grounds for terrible diseases. year after, Maud stopped writing books about Anne of Green Gables. Even The Spanish Influenza was far more though the books earned her a lot of deadly even than World War I. The war money, in her diary she wrote, “It’s a killed between 24–38 million people pity it doesn’t buy happiness.” worldwide. Up until that point, it was

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu The Flu and the Author of Anne of Green Gables

I began researching the author of Anne of Green Gables for this article. Her name is Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), but she went by Maud. She was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada. P.E.I., as the island is often called, is well known for its natural beauty. Not only is P.E.I. a popular vacation spot, it is also the setting of this book. What I learned about Maud taught me something rather unexpected about life in the early 1900s. I learned that nearly everyone Maud loved died of the flu. That’s right, the flu. Today we don’t think much of the flu. After all, it no longer kills healthy adults in a matter of hours. The flu still kills between one-quarter to one-half million people each year worldwide. Far more people died from the flu in Maud’s lifetime. One of the worst flu pandemics took So what is the flu? Well, rstly, flu is short place in Maud’s lifetime. It was called the for influenza. And, secondly, it’s nothing Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and lasted extraordinary. It’s a virus. It usually gives for two years. Nicknamed the Spanish you a stuffy nose, a cough, a sore throat, and Influenza, this strain of the flu could kill a fever. That and your body aches all over. you within hours of your rst symptom. The thing about the flu is that it spreads Literally. A person could start to cough or easily from person to person. It spreads sneeze on his way to work in the morning. through the air via coughs and sneezes. He would be dead on the job a few hours later. People were dying in the streets. In all, The flu spreads so quickly that it can the Spanish Influenza killed 20–50 million cause an epidemic, which is an outbreak people. This strain of the flu supposedly across one region or country. The flu got this nickname because 8 million people can also become a pandemic, which is a died in one month in Spain in the early worldwide outbreak.

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu days of the pandemic—probably before Maud lost a lot of friends and loved-ones anyone realized that it would become a to the Spanish influenza. It might be an worldwide problem. exaggeration to say it was almost everyone she knew, but it sure was a lot of people. One reason the Spanish Influenza spread Her good friend, Will, died in 1897. Her so quickly is possibly because of World boyfriend, Herman, died from the u in War I (1914–1918). It was the rst time so 1899. Maud, herself, nearly died from many people from all over the world came the Spanish influenza in 1918. She wrote into contact with each other at the same in her diary about the panic in Canada time. Also, battleelds and army hospitals surrounding the flu and the large numbers were breeding grounds for terrible diseases. of people who got sick. The Spanish Influenza was far more deadly Maud lost her best friend, Frederica, to the even than WWI, which killed somewhere Spanish influenza in 1919. The year after, between 24 and 38 million people Maud stopped writing books about Anne worldwide and, up until that point, was the of Green Gables. Even though the books deadliest war on record. I think, however, earned her a lot of money, in her diary she that the most important difference between wrote, “It’s a pity it doesn’t buy happiness.” the Spanish Influenza and WWI is that WWI was a war. Somehow war still seems far more dangerous than any little flu virus should be. And yet it wasn’t.

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu The Flu and the Author of Anne of Green Gables

I began researching the author of Anne of Green Gables in order to write a bit about her life and growing up in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The author’s name, by the way, is Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874– 1942). She was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, often called P.E.I., which is the setting for the book series and is well known for its beauty and popularity as a vacation spot.

What I learned about Maud—she didn’t like or go by the name Lucy—gave me an unexpected insight into what it was like to live back then. This insight can best be summarized as: nearly everyone she loved died from influenza. That’s right, the flu.

Today we don’t think much of the flu— certainly not as the bug that kills off healthy adults on the way to work. I mean, the flu still kills between one-quarter to one-half million people worldwide each year. This number of deaths is far less than it used to be, especially in the life and times of Lucy One of the worst influenza pandemics Maud Montgomery. Nowadays, the flu is occurred during Maud’s lifetime. It was called really only most dangerous to people who the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and it lasted are very young, very old, or have weakened for two years. In fact, Maud herself nearly lost immune systems. her life to it. This strain of the flu was called So what is the flu? It’s an upper respiratory the Spanish Influenza and it could kill you infection that usually gives you a stuffy nose, within hours of your rst symptom. Literally. a cough, a sore throat, and a fever. That and People would go to work in the morning, your body aches all over. The thing about the start to cough or sneeze, and be dead on flu is that it’s easily transmitted from person to the job a few hours later. People were dying person through the air via coughs and sneezes. in the streets. In all, the Spanish Influenza is estimated to have killed 20–50 million people. The flu spreads so quickly that it can cause an It’s rumored to have gotten the name because epidemic (outbreak across a region or country) 8 million people died in one single month in or even a pandemic (a worldwide outbreak). Spain in the early days of the pandemic.

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Nearly Everyone She Loved Died of the Flu

One reason the Spanish Influenza spread so Maud lost a lot of friends and loved-ones to the rapidly is possibly because of World War I Spanish influenza. It might be an exaggeration (1914–1918). It was the rst time so many to say it was almost everyone she knew, but it people from all over the world came into sure was a lot of people. Her good friend, Will, contact with each other at the same time. Also, died in 1897 and her boyfriend, Herman, died battleelds and army hospitals were breeding from the u in 1899. It’s reasonable to assume grounds for terrible diseases. And there were that Maud lost many other friends (who were a lot of them, but that’s another story for not mentioned in the history books) to the u another article. as well. Maud, herself, nearly died from the Spanish influenza in 1918. She wrote in her The Spanish Influenza was far more deadly even diary about the panic in Canada surrounding than WWI, which killed somewhere between the flu and the large numbers of people who 24 and 38 million people worldwide and, up got sick. until that point, was the deadliest war on record. I think, however, that the most important Maud, who lost her best friend to the Spanish difference between the Spanish Influenza and influenza, stopped writing books about Anne WWI is that WWI was a war. Somehow war of Green Gables in 1920. Even though the still seems far more dangerous than any little books earned her a lot of money, in her diary fluvirus should be. And yet it wasn’t. she wrote, “It’s a pity it doesn’t buy happiness.”

2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke