Little women (1868) novel (Original Version)

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Three years later, Meg and John marry and learn how to live together. When they have twins, Meg is a devoted mother but John begins to feel neglected and left out. Meg seeks advice from Marmee, who helps her find balance in her married life by making more time for wifely duties and encouraging John to become more involved with child rearing. The novel has inspired a number of other literary retellings by various authors. Books inspired by Little Women include the following: Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869 at the request of her publisher. [1] [2] The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters, [3] [4] :202 it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. [5] [6] :12 Alberghese, Janice M.; Clark, Beverly Lyon, eds. (1999). "Little Women Leads Poll: Novel Rated Ahead of Bible for Influence on High School Pupils". Little Women and the Feminist Imagination: Criticism, Controversy, Personal Essays. Psychology Press. p.xliv. ISBN 978-0-8153-2049-4.

Like the fictional Jo March, Alcott was the second of four daughters. She was born in Pennsylvania but spent most of her life in Concord, Massachusetts, where her father, Bronson, associated with Transcendentalist thinkers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The liberal attitudes of the Transcendentalists left a strong mark on Louisa May Alcott. Her father started a school based on Transcendentalist teachings, but after six years it failed, and he was left unable to support the family. Louisa dedicated most of her life and writing to supporting her family. In 1852, her first story, the Rival Painters: A Tale of Rome, was published in a periodical, and she made a living off sentimental and melodramatic stories over the next two decades. In 1862, she worked as a nurse for Union troops in the Civil War until typhoid fever broke her health. She turned her experiences into Hospital Sketches (1863), which earned her a reputation as a serious literary writer. George Cukor directed the first sound adaptation of Little Women, starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo, Joan Bennett as Amy, Frances Dee as Meg, and Jean Parker as Beth. The film was released in 1933 and was followed by an adaptation of Little Men the following year. [ citation needed]Beth, 13 when the story starts, is described as kind, gentle, sweet, shy, quiet, honest and musical. She is the shyest March sister and the pianist of the family. [20] :53 Infused with quiet wisdom, she is the peacemaker of the family and gently scolds her sisters when they argue. [21] As her sisters grow up, they begin to leave home, but Beth has no desire to leave her house or family. She is especially close to Jo: when Beth develops scarlet fever after visiting the Hummels, Jo does most of the nursing and rarely leaves her side. Beth recovers from the acute disease but her health is permanently weakened. Margaret & John Laurence Brooke ("Daisy" and "Demijohn/Demi") – Meg's twin son and daughter. Daisy is named after both Meg and Marmee, while Demi is named for John and the Laurence family. Meg, the oldest sister, is 16 when the story starts. She is described as a beauty, and manages the household when her mother is absent. She has long brown hair and blue eyes and particularly beautiful hands, and is seen as the prettiest one of the sisters. Meg fulfils expectations for women of the time; from the start, she is already a nearly perfect "little woman" in the eyes of the world. [12] Before her marriage to John Brooke, while still living at home, she often lectures her younger sisters to ensure they grow to embody the title of "little women". [13] Another silent film adaptation was released in 1918 and directed by Harley Knoles. It starred Isabel Lamon as Meg, Dorothy Bernard as Jo, Lillian Hall as Beth, and Florence Flinn as Amy. [ citation needed]

The first volume of Little Women was published in 1868 by Roberts Brothers. [36] The first edition included illustrations by May Alcott, the sister who inspired the fictional Amy March. She "struggled" with her illustrative additions to her sister's book, but later improved her skills and found some success as an artist. [37] Laurie travels to Europe with his grandfather to escape his heartbreak. At home, Beth's health has seriously deteriorated. Jo devotes her time to the care of her dying sister. Laurie encounters Amy in Europe, and he slowly falls in love with her as he begins to see her in a new light. She is unimpressed by the aimless, idle, and forlorn attitude he has adopted since being rejected by Jo, and inspires him to find his purpose and do something worthwhile with his life. With the news of Beth's death, they meet for consolation and their romance grows. Amy's aunt will not allow Amy to return unchaperoned with Laurie and his grandfather, so they marry before returning home from Europe. Hannah Mullet – The March family maid and cook, their only servant. She is of Irish descent and very dear to the family. She is treated more like a member of the family than a servant.

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Cheney, Ednah Dow, ed. (1889). Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals. Boston: Applewood Books. p.190. ISBN 978-1-4290-4460-8. Boyd, Anne E. (2004). Writing for Immortality: Women Writers and the Emergence of High Literary Culture in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p.72. ISBN 0-8018-7875-6. Alcott, Louisa May (2010). "Foreword". Little Women. Collins Classics. HarperCollins UK. p.vi. ISBN 978-0-00-738264-4. Myriad Theatre & Film adapted the novel as a full-length play which was staged in London and Essex in 2011. [52]

Amy is the youngest sister and baby of the family; she’s 12 when the story begins. Interested in art, she is described as a "regular snow-maiden" with curly golden hair and blue eyes, "pale and slender" and "always carrying herself" like a proper young lady. She is the artist of the family. [22] Often coddled because she is the youngest, Amy can behave in a vain and self-centered way, though she does still love her family. [23] :5 She has the middle name Curtis, and is the only March sister to use her full name rather than a diminutive. [24] Longest, David (1998). Little Women of Orchard House: A Full-length Play. Dramatic Publishing. p.115. ISBN 0-87129-857-0. Alcott, Louisa (November 2, 2015). The Annotated Little Women. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393072198. Frank Vaughan – Fred's twin brother, mentioned a few times in the novel. When Fred and Amy are both traveling in Europe, Fred leaves because he hears his twin is ill.

Laurie graduates from college, having put in the effort to do well in his last year with Jo's prompting. Amy is chosen over Jo to go on a European tour with her aunt. Beth's health is weak due to complications from scarlet fever and her spirits are down. While trying to uncover the reason for Beth's sadness, Jo realizes that Laurie has fallen in love. At first she believes it's with Beth, but soon senses it's with herself. Jo confides in Marmee, telling her that she loves Laurie like a brother and that she could not love him in a romantic way. In 2003 Little Women was ranked number 18 in The Big Read, a survey of the British public by the BBC to determine the "Nation's Best-loved Novel" (not children's novel); it is fourth-highest among novels published in the U.S. on that list. [42] Based on a 2007 online poll, the U.S. National Education Association listed it as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". [43] In 2012 it was ranked number 47 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly with primarily US audience. [44] Influence [ edit ] a b Busch, Anita (April 27, 2017). "Lea Thompson To Star in New Feature Adaptation Of 'Little Women' ". Deadline.com . Retrieved June 23, 2018. Elizabeth Laurence ("Bess") – The only daughter of Laurie and Amy, named for Beth. Like her mother, she develops a love for art as she grows up. Bird, Elizabeth (July 7, 2012). "Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results". School Library Journal "A Fuse No. 8 Production" blog. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012 . Retrieved August 22, 2012.