Recently the Milner Library at Illinois State University hosted a series of programs as part of the ALA's "Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women"; they were one of many libraries around the country that received grant money from the NEH and the ALA. The series is based upon the best-selling biography of the …
I “met” Louisa May Alcott . . .
. . . through the acting skills of Jan Turnquist, performer extraordinaire and director of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. From Jan's website she writes, "Due to a 'minor carriage accident,' 20th century audiences have the opportunity to 'meet' Louisa May Alcott through the living history portrayal of Jan Turnquist." She swept into the room …
The core of Louisa May Alcott’s feminism explains her timelessness
After writing yesterday's post on Polly's modern sensibilities, I thought about what Louisa May Alcott's core belief was which motivated her feminism, and why she was so effective in imparting it. Autonomy My conclusion? Louisa's feminism was based on autonomy - the right of every woman to be autonomous, the freedom for each woman to …
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Louisa May Alcott’s brand of feminism: final thoughts on “Moods,” thanks to Sarah Elbert
I finally finished reading Moods a few weeks ago but just couldn't comment on it. After reading both the 1864 and 1882 versions, I concluded that the book left me flat. The characters felt rather two-dimensional. Both versions ended differently and each ending seemed convoluted. It left me feeling the way I did after reading …
Getting to know John Matteson, author of “Eden’s Outcasts”
I'm about to treat you to a wonderful interview with John Matteson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Eden's Outcasts (one of the many books on my list begging to be read). Here's a sampling to whet your appetite: What drives the continued fascination with Louisa May Alcott? Louisa combined the best aspects of both her parents. …
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The essence of Fruitlands: a return to the Garden of Eden
Note: the following post is based upon the introduction to Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia by Richard Francis, pages 2-11). Anything that has been italicized is my own conclusion, not Francis'. I will be including thoughts that I have as it relates to my understanding of Christianity and how it relates …
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Diving into Transcendentalism via Fruitlands
Talk about jumping off a cliff! That's what I feel like I've done with Richard Francis' Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia . I wanted to learn more about Transcendentalism and feel like I'm practically drowning in it. But oh is it ever interesting! Disclaimer: I am writing as a student, just …
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Rediscovering the late Madelon Bedell, author of The Alcotts Biography of a Family
I just ordered a bunch of new books and needed to rearrange my book shelves to get everything to fit. In the midst of the rearranging, I pulled out my copy of The Alcotts Biography of a Family and discovered a promotional photo of the author, Madelon Bedell, and an interview released by the publisher’s …
Tidbits of news, and beginning a trip to Fruitlands
Just heard some awesome news from Jan Turnquist at Orchard House - the long missing papers of Madelon Bedell are now safely ensconced at Orchard House. As mentioned in yesterday's post, Bedell wrote a scholarly work entitled The Alcotts Biography of a Family; it was supposed to have been in 2 volumes but sadly, Bedell …
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The American Library Association Louisa May Alcott Project: A DVD and Book Start a Movement
In May of 1868, a publisher asked an author to write a book specifically targeted "for girls." His plan was twofold: to capitalize on this up-and-coming author's growing popularity, and to capture a corner of a brand new genre of children's literature. The author begrudgingly obliged, and ended up producing one of the best selling, …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 