Louisa May Alcott's Little Women

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Originally published in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was an instant success. Quickly selling out its initial 2,000 copy run, the popularity of the novel prompted a concluding second half - hitting the market just a year later - and has remained one of the most popular novels in history. The book cemented its author as one of the most prominent writers of the 19th century and has continued to influence pop culture to this day. So how, exactly, did Little Women come to be?

This week I am diving into Louisa May Alcott and her smashing success, Little Women. Who was Alcott? What prompted her to start writing? And what inspired the book that would make her career?

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Louisa May Alcott was the second of four daughters, born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown Pennsylvania to. Her parents, Abigail May and Bronson Alcott were part of the Transcendentalist movement, an intellectual and spiritual ideology that believed that all individuals were inherently good and that people were corrupted by outside societal influences and institutions. Bronson Alcott was also a teacher and major education reformer who believed that children should develop intellectually and emotionally on their own terms and that education was more of a dialogue between student and teacher. He also believed strongly that children should enjoy learning and thus supported his daughters’ education. 

Bronson Alcott was a bit of a dreamer - thinking up ideas such as establishing his own Utopian society. More thinker and philosopher than worker, the Alcott’s suffered from the patriarch’s whims of fantasy and the family of six struggled financially. In 1834, the family moved to Boston where Mr. Alcott established a new progressive school, Temple, which was located within the Tremont Temple on Tremont Street. The school did not last long, however, when the reformer allowed for a young black girl to enroll, prompting other parents in the area to withdraw their support of the school, which closed for good in 1840. Despite operating his own school, young Louisa was educated at home, benefitting from the family’s close relationships with men like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. 

Louisa enjoyed access to Emerson’s large library of books, where she soaked up as much knowledge as she could. Not only was the Alcott family friendly with literary greats like Emerson, but Bronson Alcott was also a firm believer in abolition, founding an abolitionist society in Concord in 1850 and allowing their home to be used as a stop along the underground railroad. Growing up in such a chaotic, yet philosophical household heavily influenced Louisa, but it would also serve as fertile creative ground as the author developed her literary talents. 

Louisa began writing as a teenager, hoping that she could earn enough money from publishing stories to support her economically insecure family. She wrote her first story in 1848, though it would not be published for several more years and it was actually a poem she published for the first and it wasn’t until 1854 that Alcott produced a collection of short stories, which she published under a fake name. She also enjoyed the theater, eventually writing a play and establishing two dramatic companies: the Walpole Amateur Dramatic Company in 1855 while she was vacationing in New Hampshire, and the Concord Dramatic Union in 1857. Although later known for domestic fiction like Little Women, Alcott initially wrote gothic thrillers, publishing under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard. In fact one of Alcott’s early works, Pauline’s Passion and Punishment, earned her $100 in 1863.

Unsure of whether writing would be the ticket to economic freedom, Alcott dabbled in a variety of different jobs including a governess, teacher, and even entering domestic service. At 18, finding she disliked teaching and unable to earn as much as she’d like with writing, Alcott worked in the service of James Richardson, an experience she later wrote about. Like most women who entered the service, Alcott faced isolation, overwork, and unwanted sexual advances from her employer. Although Alcott would later write in support of domestic service, believing the work to be beneficial and noble, she lasted just seven weeks. In 1861, Alcott also served briefly as a Civil War Union nurse, but contracted Typhoid Fever halfway through her assignment and had to discontinue her work. A writer who borrowed from her life experiences, Alcott’s time as a nurse helped inspire her 1863 short story Hospital Sketches. Although brief, Alcott remained proud of the work she did for the Union, later saying quote: “my greatest pride is that I lived to know the brave men and women who did so much for the cause, and that I had a very small share in the war which put an end to a great wrong,” end quote. 

As a young woman, Louisa moved to Boston where she hoped to earn enough money to support herself and her family, who still lived in Concord. The city of Boston during this time was filled with political activity and Alcott found herself surrounded by reformers like abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Thanks in part to her childhood experiences and her time in Boston, Louisa May Alcott would also become an abolitionist. After the Civil War, Alcott briefly traveled to Europe as the companion of Anna Weld, a wealthy invalid where she incurred a sizable debt. Upon her return, Alcott became the editor of Merry’s Museum, a children’s magazine and eventually became its largest contributor. It was work Alcott disliked, but it was fairly consistent and allowed her to continue to send money back home to her family in Concord. 

While serving as the editor of Merry Museum, editor and publisher Thomas Niles approached Alcott with an idea: write a book geared towards young girls. Initially the idea did not interest Alcott and considered the request silly. But Alcott was also keenly aware of her family’s continued economic precarity and so, despite her antipathy toward the idea, she sat down to write a story geared toward little women. A subject outside of her normal work, Alcott drew from what she knew best - her family history. If you are a fan of the novel Little Women, then you are likely aware that the novel was largely inspired by Alcott’s childhood. Like Alcott, there are four March sisters, each one representing a member of Alcott’s family. Meg was inspired by older sister Anna, with Beth and Amy being drawn from little sisters Elizabeth and May. And of course Jo, who was inspired by the author herself. 

Alcott wrote at a fevered pace, finishing what would become the first part of the novel - over 400 pages - in just a few months. Alcott was initially hesitant that the book was any good and that it would achieve any financial success. When the proof of the book came to her in August 1868, Alcott wrote in her journal quote: “proof of whole book came. It reads better than I expected. Not a bit sensational, but simple and true, for we really lived most of it, and if it succeeds that will be the reason of it. Mr. N likes it better now, and says some girls who have read the manuscript say it is splendid. As it is for them, they are the best critics, so I should be satisfied,” end quote. Despite the early signs the book would be well received, the publisher attached to the project remained unsure that the book would be all that successful. Thus, he offered Alcott a percentage of the profits - 6.6% - instead of paying a flat fee, which was the standard practice. This curious turn of events ended up landing in Alcott’s favor as the first volume of Little Women was published in 1868 it became an immediate commercial success, quickly selling out.

Readers devoured Little Women and demanded more. Thanks to the success of the first volume, Alcott was put to work penning a second. Again writing at a feverish pace, the concluding part of Little Women was published just a year later and forever cemented Alcott as a serious author. Since its initial run in the 19th century, it is estimated the Little Women has sold over ten million copies and has been translated into fifty languages. The book also inspired a series of pseudo-sequels, including Little Men in 1871 and Jo’s Boys in 1886. And as a result of the publishing deal giving Alcott a percentage of the proceeds, the success of Little Women meant that the author was finally able to provide for her family. Writing about her success later in life, Alcott said quote: “Twenty years ago, I resolved to make the family independent if I could. At 40 that is done. Debts all paid, even the outlawed ones, and we have enough to be comfortable. It has cost me my health, perhaps; but as I still live, there is more for me to do I suppose,” end quote. 

Thanks to her financial windfall, Alcott was able to travel and in 1870, she moved briefly overseas with her sister Mary to Europe. She also began to get involved in political and social reform movements that spoke to her. Upon her return to Massachusetts, Alcott joined the suffrage movement and was the first woman to register to vote in Concord. She became a strong advocate for women’s rights, attending the Women’s Congress of 1875 in Syracuse, New York. In addition to pushing for the right to vote for women, Alcott also established a temperance society. She continued to take care of her family, purchasing an estate shortly after her father suffered a stroke and required convalescent care - a cost Alcott also likely paid. 

Working at such a pace likely took its toll on Alcott, who suffered from poor health throughout her life, including experiencing residual impacts from treatment she received when she was struck with typhoid fever as a civil war nurse. As she aged, Alcott struggled with bouts of vertigo, fatigue, and pain in her limbs. Like her father, Louisa May Alcott suffered a stroke on March 3, 1888 and passed away three days later on March 6th at the age of 55. Aware of her declining health, Alcott adopted her nephew John Pratt and willed all of her royalties to him. All proceeds made from Alcott’s writings were to be shared among her nieces and nephews and Alcott made sure to set aside some money to care for her remaining family. She is buried at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord in the area known as Author’s Ridge where she sits next to other great writers including Emerson and Thoreau. Her grave also bears a Civil War Veteran marker, recognizing her service as a nurse during the war. 

Despite her desire to write more mature fiction, Alcott would remain tied to the March sisters and became one of the foremost novelists of her lifetime. She produced nearly 300 literary works throughout her life, including plays and poems, but it is Little Women for which Alcott has and will likely always be remembered for. There have been several adaptations of the novel, including six films, a dozen television mini series, and even stage productions. The book has remained in publication since its debut in 1868 - never going out of print and is still considered the quote unquote mother of all girls books. 

Alcott also inspired generations of writers. Nora Ephron, Margaret Atwood, and Stephanie Meyer are just some of the authors who have cited Alcott as a significant influence on their careers not only as a pioneer for women in the realm of storytelling, but also Alcott’s ability to write complex, yet relatable characters. Alcott’s memory lives on at the Orchard House, where the author and her family lived for twenty years. According to its website, the house has maintained its structural framework and about 80% of the furnishings on display belonged to the Alcott family creating a truly immersive experience. 

Louisa May Alcott broke the mold for what was possible for female authors. Writing tirelessly to care for her family, Alcott proved that women could support themselves and their loved ones through their pen. Although Alcott may not have had the chance to pursue the fiction she preferred to write, she nevertheless left her mark on the American novel. Perhaps more importantly, Alcott did something previously unheard of: she wrote a story for girls, centering girls that was incredibly economically successful. In doing so, Alcott proved that there was a market for women’s fiction and that little women could be just as successful as little men. 

Before I sign off today, one final note: August will mark the 5th anniversary of Civics and Coffee. Since launching in 2020, I’ve released over 250 episodes including interviews and conversations with some great scholars and fellow podcasters. In preparation for the big anniversary, I am working on a few new ideas that I can’t wait to share with all of you. Members of the Patreon will get a sneak peek of these changes in July so if you haven’t joined yet, it’s not too late. As a reminder, joining the Patreon also gets you access to extra content, including the bonus series Civics & Cocktails. You can learn more about joining the Patreon by visiting my website at www dot civics and coffee dot com. 

Thanks, peeps. I will see you next week.

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