Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
The first book to be released on the life of Louisa May Alcott was Ednah Dow Cheney's Louisa May Alcott, The Children's Friend. A sweet and romanticized account of Louisa's life, this book was geared for the countless fans of Little Women and children of all ages.Ā Cheney, a longtime friend of the family (who …
Continue reading "The first biography: Louisa May Alcott The Children’s Friend by Ednah Dow Cheney"
In 1853, Elizabeth Alcott suffered a bout of depression. She was seventeen at the time and the family was destitute, living in Boston and constantly on the move. Abba wrote the following to Bronson about the episode: "Elizabeth is in rather better spirits but it seems as if there had been some collapse of the …
Continue reading "Abba, Bronson and Lizzie: a slice of family dynamics – what does it tell us?"
Cathlin Davis on Louisaās philosophy of life Continuing with Day 4 of the series, Professor Cathlin Davis from California State University presented on āPractice Philosophy: āI want something to do.āā Through passages from Hospital Sketches, Work, Little Men and some of the rarer short stories (āMay Flowersā from A Garland for Girls and āWhat Becomes …
Note: I missed Day 3 of the series because of my trip into Harvardās Houghton Library. For any of you who follow me on Facebook, youāll know that I scored big on this trip. I photographed a total of twenty-five letters, five of which come from Lizzie (and they are lengthy). It will take a …
Day Two of the Summer Conversational Series featured a fine array of speakers. Kristi Lynn Martin and Duty's Faithful Child Starting off the morning was Kristi Lynn Martin, a doctoral candidate at Boston University. Martinās many years of experience as a tour guide at Concordās finest historical homes (The Old Manse, āBushā (aka the Emerson …
Mondayās session of the Summer Conversational Series at Louisa May Alcottās Orchard House was lively, funny and thought-provoking. A fellowship of sisters (and some brothers) gathered to enjoy talks from Gabrielle Donnelly, Kathleen Harsy and Kyoko Amano. Gabrielle Donnelly on Louisaās health Donnelly, the author of the popular The Little Women Letters, presented āLouisa May …
During my vacation this week I will be attending the Summer Conversational Series sponsored by Louisa May Alcottās Orchard House. The theme is "Chaos, Cosmos, and the Oversoul" The Influence of Transcendental Philosophy on the Life and Writing of Louisa May Alcott. Speakers include Gabrielle Donnelly (author of The Little Women Letters), Eve LaPlante (author …
For the first time in my life, I have to courage to dream and dream big. My passion for Louisa May Alcott fuels it. And it's led me on a thrill ride adventure that gets better every day.
Ā āDaisy and Demi were full of these whims, and lived in a world of their own, peopled with lovely or grotesque creatures, to whom they gave the queerest names, and with whom they played the queerest games. One of these nursery inventions was an invisible sprite called "The Naughty Kitty-mouse," whom the children had believed …
Continue reading "Little Men: āThe Naughty Kitty-mouse:ā Goodness Gracious!"
Louisa May Alcott often drew from the deep well of memories to craft her stories.Ā Little Men is full of such detail and itās fun to pick out these autobiographical elements. Highlighting her father For example, Louisa gives us a revealing portrait of her fatherās unique ideas about disciplining children in Chapter Four, āStepping-Stones,ā where the …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 