Little Women
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Little Women is a novel published in 1868 and written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The story concerns the lives and loves of four sisters growing up during the American Civil War. It was based on Alcott's own experiences as a child in Boston and Concord, Massachusetts, with her three sisters, Amy (May), Meg (Anna), and Beth (Elizabeth).
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[edit] Specifications
- Author = Louisa May Alcott
- Cover illustrator =
- Series =
- Genre = Family / Drama / Comedy / Coming of Age
- Publisher = Louisa May Alcott
- Country = United States
- Publication Date = 1868
- Nature of Rarity =
- Number in Existence =
- Estimated Value =
[edit] Background
Alcott wrote Little Women during 1867 and early 1868, writing furiously for two and a half months. She drew heavily on her experiences growing up with her three sisters in Boston, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts.[1] The novel was first published on September 30, 1868, and became an overnight success, selling over 2,000 copies immediately. The critical reception was also overwhelmingly positive; critics soon began calling the new novel a classic. Readers clamoured for a second volume, and Alcott received many letters asking for a sequel.
In response to this demand, Alcott wrote a second part and a first part of the book, which was published in 1869. Both parts were called Little Women, or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Part II picks up three years after the events in the last chapter of the first part Little Women ("Aunt March Settles The Question"). In 1880, the two parts were combined into one volume, and have been published as such in the United States ever since. In the UK, the second part was published under the title Good Wives, though Alcott had no part in the decision.
Alcott later wrote Little Men and Jo's Boys which followed the lives of the girls' children.
[edit] Plot introduction
Alcott's original work explores the overcoming of character flaws (many of the chapter titles in this first part are allusions to the allegorical concepts and places in Pilgrim's Progress). The girls' "guidebooks", as they are called, are not specifically labeled — a Bible and Pilgrim's Progress are the candidates for it, though. Each of the March girls displays a major character flaw: Meg, vanity; Jo, a hot temper; Beth, shyness; and Amy, selfishness. They overcome their flaws through lessons learned the hard way. Most of the flaws are in check for a time after lessons are learned, but even as young women the girls must work out these flaws in order to become mothers, wives, sisters, and citizens.
In the course of the novel, the girls become friends with their next-door neighbor, the teenage boy Laurie, who becomes a particular friend of Jo's. As well as the more serious and sadder themes outlined above, the book describes the activities of the sisters and their friend, such as creating a newspaper and picnicking, and the various scrapes that Jo and Laurie get into. The story represents family relationships and explores family life thoroughly.
[edit] See also
- Orchard House, where Alcott lived while writing Little Women
- March, a novel based upon Little Women
[edit] References
[edit] External Links
- Lesson plans for Little Women at Web English Teacher
