Abstract
Time and again writers of fiction have divulged the sources of their story material. Even a cursory glance at these occasional confessions reveals that authors utilize a surprising amount of their personal experiences. Especially do they treat successfully in fictional presentation the happenings of their early life. Indeed, some of the best stories and novels and poems are end-products of childhood activities, thoughts, and imaginative flights. One case in point is that perennial favorite of children and adults alike--Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Here if ever is an instance where the author first lived all that she later transmuted into a narrative of irresistible and unfading charm. |The impact of the Alcott family life was strong upon every one of its members. But we are here mainly concerned with the impressionability of Louisa May. We are furthermore interested not only in how she received impressions but in how she used them for artistic purposes, For this reason we need a survey of the beginning and growth of the whole Alcott family. More specifically, consideration shall be given to the family in general, to the Alcott parents and daughters in particular, to the emergence and development of literary talent in Louisa May, to the manifestation of this talent in Little Women, and finally to a critical evaluation of the famous hook as the synthesis and exemplification of wholesome family living. |