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.
Concord, home to Louisa May Alcott. I have been a student of Louisa on and off, for most of my life. Back in August of 2010 I decided to commit myself to study and share my reflections with you. I have so enjoyed all the book discussions and your wonderful comments about our favorite author. …
Continue reading "Concord in Autumn: walking the path Louisa walked"
Chapter 9 of Work, A Story of Experience brings us face to face with another character based upon a real life person. The character is Rev. Thomas Power and the actual person is the Rev. Theodore Parker. The power of life's example In Work, Christie, very taken with Cynthy Wilkinsā optimistic view of life, fulfills …
For someone who abhorred the idea of marriage for herself, Louisa May Alcott again and again paints a multi-layered, satisfying and mature picture of the institution. Raising an interesting question I wrote about this before, describing the first year of marriage between Meg and John Brooke in Little Women. I see it now in Work: …
I wanted to share with you a beautiful essay on Little Men from Crisis Magazine. The author of the piece, Mitchell Kalpakgian was himself a professor of English at Simpson College in Iowa for 31 years and certainly understands the special role of teachers, and the rich gift of a good one. Here is a …
Continue reading "Little Men: Teachers as gardeners, reaping a rich harvest"
We return to a discussion of Work: A Story of Experience where chapter 7, "Through the Mist" marks a turning point in Christie's life. It is also a powerful and penetrating look inside the author who herself experienced a similar turning point. After numerous attempts to find meaningful work that she could sustain, and after …
Continue reading "Returning to “Work:” In and out of the mist – Louisa’s art reflects life"
Here is a video I found of Susan Cheever discussing her book, Louisa May Alcott A Personal Biography: Click to Tweet & Share: Watch Susan Cheever discuss her book, Louisa May Alcott A Personal Biography http://wp.me/p125Rp-1eY Are you passionate about Louisa May Alcott too? Send an email to louisamayalcottismypassion@gmail.com to subscribe, and never miss a …
Continue reading "Susan Cheever discusses her biography on Louisa May Alcott"
I am pleased to present a beefed up Louisa May Alcott is My Passion with a sleek new look and greater functionality. With two years' worth of content, it gets hard to find what you want. I know. I often couldn't find what I wanted! I have, therefore, created a menu system that gives you …
I have long maintained that Louisa's most poignant writing revolves around death as evidenced in Beth March's passing inĀ Little Women and John Suhre's noble death in Hospital Sketches. Recently I found a blog post on the SevenPonds site that states so eloquently the very thoughts I've harbored about Louisa's insights into death - that it …
Continue reading "Louisa’s poetic tribute to her mother reveals beautiful insights on death"
Last week I was invited to be interviewed by the Extreme Writers Now forum on Blogtalk radio. The interview took place on Sunday night and we had a free-for-all discussing Louisa's works and legacy. It was great fun and I was honored to be a part of it. You can listen to the interview here …
How did May Alcott get away with so much? In 1868, she joined her sister Louisa in Boston to teach an art class. Louisa had just secured her position as editor of Merryās Museum. She was 35 and May, 27. Line of intrigue Madeleine Stern wrote a rather intriguing line about May that sparked the …
Continue reading "Questions, questions … (part two) – turning to May"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 