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.
Titled The Forgotten Alcott Essays on the Artistic Legacy and Literary Life of May Alcott Nieriker, This book is truly a labor of love and I am so grateful to our distinguished editors, Lauren Hehmyer and Azelina Flint for all of their hard work in bringing this book to life. The book is available through …
Continue reading "It’s out! The first academic study of May Alcott Nieriker is now available."
Smithsonian.com thinks so. Writer Erin Blakemore presents her hopes that Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women will finally present a well-rounded and fair portrayal of the most maligned of the March sisters by borrowing from the rich life of May Alcott Nieriker. The New ‘Little Women’ May Finally Do Justice to Its Most Controversial Character …
Continue reading "Greta Gerwig’s Little Women: Will Amy March finally catch a break?"
Before May Alcott left for Europe to study and become a professional artist, she gave lessons from a studio at Orchard House which her father Bronson made for her. A student of hers created one of the most iconic pieces of sculpture in America: One of his first commissioned works is in Concord: That artist …
Continue reading "Meet the artist to whom May Alcott acted as mentor: Daniel Chester French"
I am pleased to present a most interesting and insightful essay on May Alcott Nieriker by Azelina Flint, an Alcott scholar from Great Britain who organized a conference in Paris last year called "Recovering May Alcott Nieriker's Life and Work." It begins with an intriguing letter written by May to her father, Bronson when she …
Continue reading "A fresh examination of May Alcott Nieriker: Did Genius Burn?"
Did the real-life Amy know Laurie? Apparently so, and they were good friends! How do we know? Through a stash of letters at the Houghton Library from May Alcott to Alfred Whitman. Who was Laurie based upon? Alf is one of two boys on whom Laurie from Little Women was based (the other being Louisa's …
I have gotten to know some amazing people through this blog; one of them is a young British scholar, Azelina Flint. Like many of us, she is fascinated by May Alcott. And like us, she is grieved that May was eventually buried in an unmarked common grave just outside of Paris (see previous post). That, …
Continue reading "Petition drive begun for a memorial plaque for May Alcott Nieriker"
The 1930s was an interesting time in Alcott scholarship. The year 1932 marked the one hundredth year of Louisa’s birth. 1938 not only marked the 50th anniversary of Louisa and Bronson’s death but also the 70th anniversary of the publication of Little Women. Thus in 1937, two important biographies were released – Odell Shepherd’s Pedlar’s …
In the last post covering John Matteson's talk at the Colonial Inn I mentioned Bronson Alcott's Sonnets and Canzonets, published in 1882 and how they reveal the heart of the man. Each sonnet or canzonet is dedicated to his wife, daughters and many luminary friends such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller. …
On Thursday I toured Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. I was anxious to see the artifacts pictured in The Annotated Little Women, edited by John Matteson and took a vacation day to see them as November can get swallowed up in holiday preparations. If you live anywhere near Concord and can get to this exhibit, …
I'm on vacation this week and no vacation is complete without another tour of Orchard House, this time with a friend who has never been there before. I must say, I am always impressed at how knowledgeable the guides are at Orchard House. I've been there numerous times and always learn something new! Today I …
Continue reading "Why no book displaying May Alcott Nieriker’s paintings?"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 