Magic for Marigold
Magic for Marigold was first written as a serial for the Delineator in 1925. Living in Leaskdale, Ontario at this time, Montgomery periodically travelled to Toronto on business, and was involved in various writers’ associations that were developing at this time (including the Canadian Authors’ Association, the Canadian Women’s Press Club.) She read widely the works of her contemporaries. She was interested in prevalent issues in the 1920s, which included the “Woman Question,” and trends towards modernist literature.Magic for Marigold may reflect an increasing interest in early childhood psychology which was emerging in literature.[1]
Dedication
Nora Lefurgey Campbell
Magic for Marigold is dedicated “To Nora, in memory of a world that has passed away.” Nora Lefurgey, one of Montgomery’s closest friends. Montgomery first met Nora when Nora taught school in Cavendish from 1902-1903 and boarded with Montgomery’s grandmother. The two friends shared a passion for photography and kept a secret diary together (which has since been published in The Intimate Life of L. M. Montgomery by Irene Gammel). Montgomery and Nora reconnected in middle-age when Montgomery lived in Norval, Ontario and Nora lived in Toronto.
L. M. Montgomery’s comments
Thursday, Sept. 24, 1925
I finished today a series of four stories I have been working on since July, with an eye to The Delineator, - “What’s in a Name?”, “The Magic Door,” “The Bobbing of Marigold” and “Her Chrism of Womanhood.” They centre around a new little heroine and I have been very hapy in writing them. I think they are very good specimens of their genre and “Marigold” seems very real and enchanting to me. Perhaps I’ll write a book about her sometime.
Friday, Oct. 30, 1925
The Delineator was another burst of sunshine. Mrs. Meloney wrote that she “loved Marigold” and would give $1,600 for the stories.
Ane the first yera I wrote seriously I earned $75, writing ten times as much!
But I admit there was a difference in the quality.
Thursday, May 26, 1927
… Miss Carroll came and stayed till today - a very charming young lady. She carried off four Marigold stories with her which I have managed to finish at last.
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 1928
At last I have managed to finish my new book Magic for Marigold. I have never had such a hard time to get a book finished. I have been two years at it. “Marigold” is a nice little thing but I doubt if she will be as popular as “Anne” or “Emily.”
Friday, May 3, 1929
Stokes’ catalogue came today with the ad of Marigold. My fifteenth book. I feel very indifferent about it. Somehow I did not love writing it as I loved writing the Blue Castle and the Emily books. But that may have been because so much of it had been written before as short stories for the Delineator. It seemed like warming up cold soup.
Saturday, Oct. 11, 1930
In Magic for Marigold the scene is laid in Harmony and the clan of which she is a member are ‘the proud Leslies.” Of course I meant “the proud Macneils” in so far as I meant anybody. As for Harmony I got the name off a P. E. Island map. I know nothing of the place and neever knew anyone who lived there. But this lady had lived there when a child and she told me there acutally was a family of Leslies tehre who were noted for their pride.
What a devilish coincidence!!
Original Manuscript
Information pending.
Drawn from Life
All the chairs in the room suddenly began dancing around the table in a circle headed by the big horsehair rocking-chair. And every time the rocking-chair galloped past her it bowed to her with awful, exaggerated politeness. Marigold screamed so wildly that they came and took her out–disgusted that she could not endure so easy a punishment. —Magic for Marigold, ch. 3
… We had company to tea. I behaved badly in some fashion at the table and Aunt Emily took me away and shut me up alone in the parlor. It was very dusky for the slat blinds were down. I stood inside the door, a cold, terrified mortal, sobbing in fear and shame. Then it suddenly seemed to me that all the chairs in teh room, headed by the big haircloth rocking chair, were dancing around the table in the centre, making faces at me as they passed me. Oh, the horror of it! I broke into frenzied screaming and I think someone came and tok me out. —Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery Friday, Jan. 7, 1910 (SJ1 369)
“One poetry has vanished from the gulf forever,” [The Weed Man] said, more to himself than to the girls. “When I was a boy that gulf there would be dotted with white sails on a day like this. Now there’s nothing but gasoline boats and they’re not on speaking terms with romance at all. Romance is vanishing–romance is vanishing out of our world.” He shook his head gloomily. But Marigold, looking on the world with the eyes of youth, saw romance everywhere. —Magic for Marigold, ch.12
… But one poetry has vanished from the gulf forever. It is never now dotted with hundreds of white sails. The fishermen now have motorboats which chug-chug out in the morning and chug-chug back at night and are not on speaking terms with romance… —Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery Saturday, July 29, 1923 (SJ 139)
Previous Incarnations
Magic for Marigold ran as a serial in The Delineator before it was expanded into a novel.
“What’s in a Name?”
“The Magic Door”
“The Bobbing of Marigold”
“Her Chrism of Womanhood”
“It” Chatelaine, April 1929 Download PDF.
This story is identical to chapter 8 of Magic for Marigold, with the following changes: Marigold lives at “Cloud of Pines” instead of Cloud of Spruce. Harmony was called “Rexton”, and Sylvia was originally named “Gertrude”. She visits her Aunt Zella, instead of Aunt Stella. It is illustrated.
“The Redemption of John Churchill.” American Messenger, June 1906
This story about a man who has been imprisoned for embezzlement, and his reunion with his child after his ten-year sentence, is similar to Bernice’s story. Bernice, who has grown up all her life believing her father to be dead, learns that her father was imprisoned for embezzlement and will soon be released. The news causes her to change her belief in God.
You can read this story in Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side edited by Rea Wilmshurst.
References
The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volume I: 1889-1910 edited by Elizabeth Waterson and Mary Henley Rubio (1985)
The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery, Volume III, 1921-1929 edited by Elizabeth Waterson and Mary Henley Rubio (1992
The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery. Volume IV 1929-1935 edited by Elizabeth Waterson and Mary Henley Rubio (1998)
