LITTLE WOMEN by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

LUISA MAY ALCOT

LITTLE WOMEN

A famous quote from Louisa May Alcott

"Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen; the more select, the more enjoyable."

Louisa May Alcott's life

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet who was born on November 29, 1832, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Abigail May and A. Bronson Alcott. Louisa grew up in Boston and Concord, Massachusetts with her four sisters. She was surrounded by influential thinkers and writers of the time, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Theodore Parker, and Henry David Thoreau, who were her teachers because she didn't frequent a public school. Louisa's family struggled financially, so she had to work since a young age as a teacher, seamstress and domestic to support them.

Louisa May

Alcott

Louisa May Alcott's life

During the American Civil War, Louisa May Alcott served as a nurse in a Union hospital in Washington, D.C. Louisa began her service as a nurse in December 1862, when she was 30 years old. Louisa's family and friends helped her to prepare for her journey to Washington, D.C., where she was assigned to the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown. She contracted typhoid pneumonia after only a month of service. When she became too ill to keep working, she returned home to recover. Louisa May Alcott died on March 6, 1888, in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 55 from mercury poison.

Louisa during her service as nurse

The alcott'sisters

Abigail May

Anna Pratt

Louisa May

Elizabeth Sewall

Alcott Nieriker

Alcott

Alcott

Alcott

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LITTLE WOMEN

"Little Women" is one of the most famous work of the autor. The novel was published in two volumes, the first in 1868 and the second in 1869. It tells the story of the four March' sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) who live in Concord, Massachusetts during the Civil War. The sisters are very different from each other, but they are all close and supportive of one another. The novel follows their lives as they grow up and face many challenges, including illness, poverty and the death of the loved ones.

The novel explores the themes of family, love and the role of women in society , it's inspired from the real life of Louisa May Alcott. The character of the March's sisters have became iconic in american litterature and the novel remains a beloved classic to this day.

TIMELINE of little women series

Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys

Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy

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1869

1886

1868

1871

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Good Wives

Jo's Boys and How They Turned Out

THAnkSfor watching

The novel follows the four March girls, who are struggling with poverty and a letter from their father, Mr. March. As they grow older, they face personal challenges and moral dilemmas, with Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy facing their own demons and moral challenges. Marmee, their mother, guides them in their personal growth, while Meg falls in love with John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Meg and John marry, and they have twins, Daisy and Demi. Jo goes to New York as the governess for Mrs. Kirke, trying her hand as a professional writer. Jo and Professor Bhaer marry and start a boarding school for boys, while Amy and Laurie marry and use the Laurence family wealth to support struggling young artists. The novel ends with the family happily gathered together, showcasing the importance of family and personal growth in the face of adversity.

Her duties as a nurse included:

• comforting dying soldiers,
• assisting doctors with amputations,
• writing letters for the soldiers.

The letters send during her service were joined in "Hospital Sketches"

She was inspired to join the war effort by her patriotism and her desire to help abolish slavery because she grew up in a family that supported equal rights for all people, regardless of race or gender.

Louisa's mother was a strong Christian and a women's rights activist, while her father was a transcendentalist philosopher and teacher. Her father was the founded of an experimental school.

Little Men is an 1871 novel written by Louisa May Alcott. The stories told follow those narrated in Little Women (1868) and Little Women Grow Up (1869) and will end in the last part of the saga, Jo's Boys (1886).

Jo's Boys and How They Turned Out is an 1886 novel by the writer Louisa May Alcott and is the sequel to Little Men. It's the last book of the series.

"Little Women"'s setting

The setting of "Little Women" reflects the time period in several ways, providing a rich context for the characters and their experiences:

• Social Structure

• Feminine Ideals

• Historical Events

• Victorian Influences

• Relevance to Contemporary Society

Therefore, the setting of "Little Women" reflects the time period by portraying the societal expectations, historical events, and Victorian influences of the 1860s, while also resonating with contemporary struggles and themes.

• Marmee (Mrs. March): The mother of the March sisters, a strong and compassionate figure who runs the household while Mr. March is away.

• Robert March: The father of the March sisters, a minister who volunteers to serve in the Civil War.
• Theodore "Laurie" Laurence: A close friend of the March family, who becomes romantically involved with one of the sisters.

• Aunt March: The March girls' aunt, a stern and wealthy woman who plays a significant role in the story.

• Hannah: The March family servant, who is considered a member of the family.

• Mr. Laurence: Laurie's grandfather, a wealthy old man who lives next door to the March family.

"Little Women"'s themes

The themes in "Little Women" encompass a wide range of topics that are central to the narrative and the characters' development. Here are the major themes identified in the novel:

• Family and Marriage:

• Poverty

• Independence and Women's Rights

• Self-Improvement

• Gender and Femininity

• Sacrifice

• Women Power and Selflessness

• The Role of Women

These themes collectively contribute to the rich and multifaceted portrayal of the characters' experiences and societal context in "Little Women," making the novel a timeless exploration of personal growth, societal expectations, and the evolving role of women.