Pollyanna, the Eternal Optimist

Quotes from Pollyanna and on being a Pollyanna

Hello and welcome to another Sunday installment of Literary Ladies Lite. Today, we’ll be looking at “Pollyanna” — the character as well as the expression, which, according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, is “a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything.”

Following is a selection of quotes from Pollyanna — the 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that gave us this enduring term. You’ll also find some contemporary quotes on what it means to be — or not to be — “a Pollyanna.”

Pollyanna  was first published on the brink of World War I (which began in 1914; the U.S. entered in 1917), a treacherous era that segued into the global pandemic known as (and misnamed) the Spanish Flu. Both killed millions worldwide. 

Pollyanna is an 11-year-old orphan who comes to live under the care of her dour spinster aunt Polly in a Vermont town. Soon, her “glad game” — finding the good in any situation — wins over the residents of the town, transforming it into a haven of hope and joy.

Maybe it was, strangely, just the right time for a book starring a newly orphaned main character that was unfailingly sunny and optimistic. The book struck a chord and was an immediate hit with children as well as adults. Its popularity lasted for years.

It didn’t take long for Pollyanna to sell a million copies. It was translated into numerous languages and adapted for stage, including a successful Broadway run. A number of film versions have appeared over the years, the best known of which was the 1960 Disney adaptation starring Hayley Mills in the title role.

Pollyanna is replete with literary clichés of the era — the exuberant orphan (think Anne of Green Gables  and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) who wins everyone over; the stern spinster aunt whose heart softens; the downtrodden, kind servants.

The writing is flat, sentimental, and often downright corny. Yet there’s something about Pollyanna’s optimism that’s been irresistible to generations of readers.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter: Revisiting the Eternal Optimist