Little Women

by Alcott, Louisa May; Alton, Anne Hiebert

• ISBN13: 9781551111919
• ISBN10: 1551111918
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Broadview Pr

Summary

Little Women is one of the best loved books of all time. Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, spoiled Amy: these are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Through their dreams, plays, pranks, letters, illnesses, and courtships, women of all ages have become a part of this remarkable family and have felt the deep sadness when Meg leaves the circle of sisters to be married at the end of Part I. Part II, chronicles Meg's joys and mishaps as a young wife and mother, Jo's struggle to become a writer, Beth's tragedy, and Amy's artistic pursuits and unexpected romance. Based on Louise May Alcott's childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers. From the Paperback edition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(20)
Louisa May Alcott: A Brief Chronology	29	(4)
A Note on the Text	33	(4)
List of Abbreviations	37	(2)
Little Women or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy	39	(576)
Appendix A: The Composition and Publication of Little Women
1. Entries from Louisa May Alcott's Journals about Little Women	497	(2)
2. A Manuscript Page of Little Women	499	(1)
3. Correspondence concerning Little Women	499	(13)
4. Nineteenth-Century Comments about and Reviews of Little Women	512	(6)
Appendix B: The Sources for Little Women
1. Louisa May Alcott's Journal Entries	518	(1)
2. Early Versions of Little Women Stories
i. ``The Sister's Trial''	519	(10)
ii. ``Merry's Monthly Chat''	529	(2)
iii. ``My Polish Boy''	531	(5)
Appendix C: The March Girls' Writings
1. ``Norna; or, The Witch's Curse''	536	(20)
2. ``Aunt Sue's Scrap Bag''	556	(2)
3. ``The Masked Marriage''	558	(8)
4. ``The Greek Slave''	566	(14)
5. ``The Rival Painters''	580	(4)
Appendix D: Literary Influences
1. Bronson Alcott's Influence	584	(5)
2. Louisa May Alcott's Comments about Books and Reading	589	(3)
3. Jean de La Fontaine, ``The Jay in the Feathers of the Peacock''	592	(1)
4. Hans Christian Andersen, ``The Steadfast Tin Soldier''	592	(3)
5. ``The King and The Beggarmaid'' Tales	595	(1)
6. Selections from John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress	596	(9)
Appendix E: Feminist Issues
1. Excerpts from the Proceedings of the Women's Rights Convention, 1852	605	(3)
2. Selections from Louisa May Alcott's Journals and Letters	608	(3)
3. Louisa May Alcott's Defence of Women Suffrage	611	(1)
4. Selections from Louisa May Alcott's other Writings	611	(4)
Works Cited and Recommended Reading	615