Joyce Blythe

Joyce "Joy" Blythe was the eldest daughter of Gilbert and Anne Blythe, and the older sister of James, Walter, Anne, Diana, Shirley, and Rilla Blythe. She died as an infant.

Birth and death
Anne was extremely excited for the birth of Joyce. However, the birth is long and hard, and Anne can only have the wondrous feeling for a little while. She wants to name the child Joyce (Joy for short) because of the joy she felt when the child was born. Anne was very sad after her death and is sick for a long time (Not really, but she is tired and must rest often.) Anne was not the only one excited; Marilla came down from Green Gables. Rachel Lynde, Gilbert, and Leslie were also excited too. Leslie made the baby a beautiful nightgown.

Etymology
Joyce means "to rejoice". Anne named her thus because she was overjoyed to have a child.

Behind the scenes

 * Joyce is the only Blythe child not named after somebody else. The other children are:
 * James Matthew (named after Captain Boyd and Matthew Cuthbert)
 * Walter Cuthbert (named after Walter Shirley, Anne's father, and Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert)
 * Anne (named after Anne, her mother)
 * Diana (named after Anne Shirley's childhood friend)
 * Shirley (named after Anne Shirley's maiden name)
 * Bertha Marilla (named after Anne's mother, Bertha Shirley, and Marilla Cuthbert)

Appearances

 * Anne's House of Dreams (first appearance)
 * Rilla of Ingleside (mentioned only)