Little Women at 150

by Daniel Shealy (Editor)

Overview

A new exploration of the lasting affection and appreciation of the beloved children's novel

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496837981
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Series:	Children's Literature Association Series
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Daniel Shealy is professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he teaches American literature and children's literature. He has published twelve books on Louisa May Alcott, including coediting The Selected Letters of Louisa May Alcott and The Journals of Louisa May Alcott. His most recent book is Little Women: An Annotated Edition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction Daniel Shealy 3

Class, Charity, and Coming of Age in Little Women John Matteson 18

Louisa May Alcott's Emersonian Use of The Pilgrim's Progress: Little Women as Palimpsest Roberta Seelinger Trites 37

"Faithfulness Itself": The Imperative for Hannah Mullet in Little Women Sandra Harbert Petrulionis 65

Mobilizing the Little Women: Images of Transport and the Domestic Beverly Lyon Clark 89

"This Was Something Altogether New": On Jo March's Adulthood and Little Women's Final Chapters Anne K. Phillips 114

Marriage in the Nineteenth Century: The Influence of Margaret Fuller's "The Great Lawsuit" on Little Women Christine Doyle 140

Louisa May Alcott, Ethel Turner, and Some Little Women Down Under Joel Myerson 162

Louisa May Alcott, Major Author: Little Women and Beyond Gregory Eiselein 180

About the Contributors 205

Index 209

Editorial Reviews

02/07/2022

The eight essays in this insightful collection spotlight the successes, conflicts, and legacy of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. In “Class, Charity, and Coming of Age in Little Women,” John Matteson focuses on the novel’s depictions of charity and its distinction between rich and poor, which he writes presents a “vision of an ideal America,” while in “Faithfulness Itself: The Imperative for Hannah Mullet in Little Women,” Sandra Harbert Petrulionis considers the March family’s idealized servant: “she is good-natured, loyal, and always ready to serve.” Gregory Eiselein argues that Alcott should be in the “literary hall of fame” (if one existed) in “Louisa May Alcott, Major Author: Little Women and Beyond,” and Beverly Lyon Clark makes a case in “Mobilizing the Little Women: Images of Transport and the Domestic” that the girls in the story traveled less often than the book’s “unusually mobile” author, and studies the book’s “gendering of transportation.” Some pieces tread on familiar terrain, such as the fan pressure that Alcott faced between the two volumes to “marry off” her heroines, and some entries drag a bit, but for the most part the contributors do a great job of considering the classic novel in original, surprising lights. Academics and literature students will savor these smart readings. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Little Women at 150 is a delightful exploration of the enduring legacy of Louisa May Alcott's best-known work. . . . [It] is a rich, mature volume that rounds out at least thirty years of Alcott criticism and children's literature scholarship.--Laureen Tedesco "Children's Literature"

With eight essays from a range of children's literature scholars that examine historical influences on Alcott, the impact of illustrations in the various editions of the text, and the global reach and continued impact of the story of the March sisters, this is a valuable addition to the shelves of children's literature enthusiasts.--Jen McConnel "School Library Journal"

To mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1868), Shealy has brought together eight extremely relevant essays. Written specifically for this collection by leading scholars of Alcott and of 19th-century American literature in general, the essays provide important, fresh perspectives on the novel, Alcott herself, and 19th-century literature and society. . . . Excellent resources are included throughout for further study. Highly recommended.--D. V. Dominguez "CHOICE"

The contributors do a great job of considering the classic novel in original, surprising lights. Academics and literature students will savor these smart readings.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Little Women at 150 proves that Alcott's classic deserves to be considered not only one of America's most beloved novels, but also one of its richest and most important. These essays open up new avenues of scholarship that have much to teach us about Little Women, Alcott's oeuvre, US literature, and the US itself.--Anne Boyd Rioux, author of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of "Little Women" and Why It Still Matters

From the Publisher

02/01/2023

This collection explores the long-ranging cultural impact of Alcott's novel, considered one of the first realistic novels for kids. With eight essays from a range of children's literature scholars that examine historical influences on Alcott, the impact of illustrations in the various editions of the text, and the global reach and continued impact of the story of the March sisters, this is a valuable addition to the shelves of children's literature enthusiasts. Topics covered include class, feminism, Marxism, and Transcendentalism. The steep price might encourage buyers to purchase the paperback. VERDICT Recommended for all children's literature—centered studies.—Jen McConnel

School Library Journal