Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea

[ailbhe]

Wait - all those maids and hired hands described as French are actually black, aren't they?

I think I preferred the books before I realised that.

Comments

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

It does? Never heard that one before.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Well, this dates back to a conversation I had fifteen years ago, so may only be anecdotal and outdated evidence! A Russian teacher told me not to use 'chernyi' to refer to African Americans, as it was a racist word - one applied to Caucasians at the time, particularly Chechens. Maybe it was just her, but I found the reversal fascinating, which is why it stuck in my memory!