Pollyanna

novel by Porter

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July 1, 2026

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Pollyanna is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor Hodgman Porter. The story centers on Pollyanna, an orphaned young girl who, guided by her father's lesson to "find something about everything to be glad about," maintains an irrepressible optimism. Her "glad game" helps her reform those around her and bring hope to the hopeless. The novel was a bestseller and became a cultural phenomenon, even leading to the word "Pollyanna" entering the lexicon to describe someone with excessive, often naive, cheerfulness. The character also inspired a series of books and adaptations, including plays and films.12

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Pollyanna
of Eleanor Hodgman Porter’s novel Pollyanna (1913).
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of Eleanor Hodgman Porter’s novel Pollyanna (1913).
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Eleanor Hodgman Porter
In 1913 Porter published Pollyanna, a sentimental tale of a most improbable heroine, a young girl whose “glad game” of always looking for and finding the bright side of things somehow reforms her antagonists, restores hope to the hopeless, and generally rights the wrongs of the world. The book’s…
Read More
In 1913 Porter published Pollyanna, a sentimental tale of a most improbable heroine, a young girl whose “glad game” of always looking for and finding the bright side of things somehow reforms her antagonists, restores hope to the hopeless, and generally rights the wrongs of the world. The book’s…
Read More