In Chapter 34, "A Friend," Jo makes not one but two choices. One is exceedingly difficult, the other flows from the first. The choice most commented upon is her decision to give up writing sensational thrillers. Modern feminist critics look to this chapter as a death of sort, of Jo's independent self (see Little Women …
A view of marriage from a decided spinster
Louisa May Alcott was an astute observer of life. Her description of Meg and John's first year of marriage in Chapter 28 of Little Women, Domestic Experiences, amazed me with its accuracy. She obviously studied her sister Anna and brother-in-law John Pratt's marriage carefully, probably without even realizing it. Her keen mind picked up on …
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I finally get it!
Now that I've finished part one of Little Women, I finally get it. I know, I'm late, I always seem to be behind the curve. For so many years I have heard people rave about Little Women but I never understood what the attraction was. On the surface, Little Women appears simplistic, way too sentimental, …
Giving Beth her due – chapter 17 “Little Faithful”
I never seem to gravitate towards the mainstream. True to form, my favorite character in Little Women is not Jo (though she's my second favorite character). It is, instead, Beth. When I attempted to read Little Women as a young girl, Beth was always the one who caught my imagination. The attraction back then was …
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Little Women and Harry Potter
I wish I could have read Little Women when it first came out in 1868-69 and known what little girls experienced when reading this apparently revolutionary book. I've heard it said that Louisa May Alcott is the first J.K. Rowling because of the wild success of Little Women and its sequels. I have two grown …
The plot thickens
It's become obvious to me that I need to better explore the back story of Little Women in order to fully appreciate it (and to be able to comment on it intelligently!). Plus, your comments keep me on my toes as you know so much more than I do! I found this article yesterday on …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 