Diana and Fred's Engagement

Anne of Avonlea

Diana's romance with Fred quietly changes Anne's understanding of adulthood and the future of their friendship.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Friendship Beside Romance A Friendship Beside Romance from "Anne of Avonlea". A Friendship Beside Romance A Close Companion Diana Barry shares Anne Shirley's plans, outings, and private confidences.

A Friendship Beside Romance from "Anne of Avonlea". A Friendship Beside Romance A Close Companion Diana Barry shares Anne Shirley's plans, outings, and private confidences.

A Friendship Beside Romance A Close Companion Diana Barry shares Anne Shirley's plans, outings, and private confidences. Their long friendship gives Anne a secure place in Avonlea. Different Expectations Diana has long imagined a romantic future, while Anne's own ideal remains abstract and distant. Neither yet sees how quickly those expectations may change.

A Secret Seen A Secret Seen from "Anne of Avonlea". A Secret Seen An Unintended Witness Anne walks into the Barry garden and sees Diana with Fred Wright.

A Secret Seen from "Anne of Avonlea". A Secret Seen An Unintended Witness Anne walks into the Barry garden and sees Diana with Fred Wright.

A Secret Seen An Unintended Witness Anne walks into the Barry garden and sees Diana with Fred Wright. Their body language reveals an attachment Anne had suspected but had not fully believed. Growing Apart, Briefly Anne feels that Diana has entered a new world and may no longer share every secret. The moment is less a rupture than the first recognition of adulthood's changing boundaries.

Diana's Confidence Diana's Confidence from "Anne of Avonlea". Diana's Confidence The Whole Story Diana visits Anne and explains her feelings for Fred.

Diana's Confidence from "Anne of Avonlea". Diana's Confidence The Whole Story Diana visits Anne and explains her feelings for Fred.

Diana's Confidence The Whole Story Diana visits Anne and explains her feelings for Fred. The girls cry and laugh together, renewing the trust that the discovery briefly unsettled. A Chosen Future Diana describes how being engaged to Fred feels right precisely because he is himself, not because he fits her old ideal. Her choice reveals the difference between fantasy and affection grounded in a real person.

Preparing for Marriage Preparing for Marriage from "Anne of Avonlea". Preparing for Marriage A Practical Horizon Diana expects to wait until she is twenty-one and plans to prepare for housekeeping.

Preparing for Marriage from "Anne of Avonlea". Preparing for Marriage A Practical Horizon Diana expects to wait until she is twenty-one and plans to prepare for housekeeping.

Preparing for Marriage A Practical Horizon Diana expects to wait until she is twenty-one and plans to prepare for housekeeping. Her talk of doilies makes marriage feel both romantic and domestic. Anne's Reflection Anne teases Diana gently, then imagines a future home of her own. Gilbert Blythe appears in that imagined household, suggesting feelings Anne has not yet examined.

A Promise of Friendship A Promise of Friendship from "Anne of Avonlea". A Promise of Friendship Change Without Abandonment Anne and Diana acknowledge that marriage and college will alter their routines.

A Promise of Friendship from "Anne of Avonlea". A Promise of Friendship Change Without Abandonment Anne and Diana acknowledge that marriage and college will alter their routines.

A Promise of Friendship Change Without Abandonment Anne and Diana acknowledge that marriage and college will alter their routines. They promise to remain close and remember the affection that shaped their childhood. A Future Reunion Anne agrees to serve as Diana's bridesmaid, even if she must travel far to do so. The promise secures their friendship within a life that is about to widen.

the first school year, before Diana's engagement

late summer, before the stone-house wedding

the following evening

the same evening, after Diana's confession

the twilight before Anne leaves Avonlea