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Meet the Woman behind the Women
Pretty much everyone in society has heard of the classic novel, Little Women. To this day, the March girls are some of my favorite book characters. One of my childhood games was trying to classify which sister would fit someone’s personality. For instance, I’m a total Jo. Who would you be? Along with my love of all things Little Women, I have to love the woman behind the book. So, who was Louisa May Alcott?
Louisa May Alcott- The early years
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer and poet. She was born on November 29th, 1832 in Philadelphia. Alcott’s parents were passionate in both their religious and political beliefs. Alcott was mainly home schooled and was a voracious reader. She was especially moved by philosopher Henry David Thoreau, and authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne. These inspirations are demonstrated in her writing.
Much like the March sisters, Alcott was one of four daughters and remained close with her sisters through adulthood. She was ahead of her time in writing educated, strong female characters in her 19th century novels. As a result, her writing greatly impacted American literature.
Alcott was first published in 1854 and gained a following of both adults and children even though she published many of her early works under the name A.M. Barnard. In 1868, her publisher asked Alcott to write a book for young women. To do so, she channeled her own experience growing up. Little Women was first published as a series of short stories, but was eventually compiled into one novel. The book was an instant success and immediately cemented Louisa May Alcott as one of the top novelists of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Little Women, Big Impact
Alcott published a few sequels to Little Women in later years. She also became active in the women’s suffrage movement and wrote for a number of publications championing women’s rights.
Alcott never married or had children. She did adopt her niece after her sister died. She settled in Boston and continued to write stories about the characters from Little Women. Alcott unfortunately suffered from poor health which she attributed to mercury poisoning while she worked as a nurse during the Civil War. As a result, she died in 1888 at the age of 56.
To this day, Louisa May Alcott continues to be a household name and her novels remain on best seller lists throughout the world.
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