Tools
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy : the story of Little Women and why it still matters
- Author
- Rioux, Anne Boyd, author.
- Title
- Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy : the story of Little Women and why it still matters / Anne Boyd Rioux.
- Format
- Book
- Edition
- First edition.
- Published
- New York : W. W. Norton & Company, [2018] ©2018
- Description
- xiv, 273 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Notes
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-256) and index.
- Contents
-
- Prologue: "Our book"
- Part I. The making of a classic
- "Pegging away": the road to Little Women
- "We really lived most of it": making up Little Women
- "Fresh, sparkling,...full of soul": the phenomenon of Little Women
- Part II. The life of a classic
- "See her...living...the immortal Jo!": Little Women on stage and screen
- "The mother of us all": Little Women's cultural and literary influence
- "A divided house of a book": reading Little Women
- Part III. A classic for today
- "A private book for girls": can boys read Little Women?
- "Being someone": growing up female with Little Women
- "Wanting to be Rory, but better": Little Women and girls' stories today.
- Summary
- A 150th anniversary tribute describes the cultural significance of Louisa May Alcott's classic, exploring how its relatable themes and depictions of family resilience, community, and female resourcefulness have inspired generations of writers. Published on September 30, 1868, Little Women became an enormous bestseller and one of America's favorite novels. Rioux recounts how Louisa May Alcott came to write Little Women, drawing inspiration for it from her own life. She examines why this tale of family and community ties, set while the Civil War tore America apart, has resonated through later wars, the Depression, and times of changing opportunities for women. Alcott's portrayal of family resilience and her honest look at the struggles of girls growing into women has influenced readers-- and writers-- for over a century. -- adapted from jacket
- Subject headings
- Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. Little women. Girls in literature. Girls--Books and reading--History.
- Genre heading
- Nonfiction.
- ISBN
- 9780393254730 (hardcover) 0393254739