Little Women, Part Second
Dublin Core
Title
Little Women, Part Second
Description
This early edition of part two of Little Women, which was published in 1869 only a year after the original first volume of the novel came out, is written by Louisa May Alcott and, according to the title page, illustrated by May Alcott. It is unclear from this record if the May Alcott that did the illustrations is Louisa herself, or her sister, Abigail May Alcott. According to LouisaMayAlcott.org, it is likely that Abigail did the illustrations because she most often went by May and was known to be very artistic; in fact, LouisaMayAlcott.org writes that she was the inspiration for Amy’s character in the novel. If it was Abigail who illustrated this copy of Little Women, perhaps Louisa and her sister working together on a novel about four sisters suggests that Louisa’s relationship with her own sisters influenced her portrayal of the relationships between the sisters in the novel. Thus, the novel is not simply a work of fiction, but a realistic account of the ways in which nineteenth-century women interacted with each other. If Alcott’s novel is based on her personal life, it is very telling about the difficulties that families, and more specifically women, faced during her lifetime, exposing the ways in which connection and interaction among women have changed and remained the same over time.
If the Alcott sisters did, in fact, collaborate on this version of Little Women, it is likely that together they carefully chose which scenes to illustrate. There are only three illustrations throughout this section of the novel: one of Jo’s husband, Professor Bhaer, holding a little girl, Tina, another of Amy (working in a notebook) and Laurie chatting outside, and finally, one of Jo and Beth sitting together on a beach. If the sisters collaborated on the novel, it is plausible that they chose to illustrate these three scenes because they deemed them some of the most important scenes, or most representative of what they believed to be the novel’s key ideas. These three illustrations seem to depict related themes that are prevalent throughout the novel: love, family, sisterly bonds. Thus, the illustrations work as supplements to the text itself to further highlight these significant themes. Louisa and Abigail’s decision to include illustrations suggests not only the importance of these ideas in the novel, but also that they could have been important in the sisters’ real lives as well. The illustrations also express other themes that the Alcott sisters seem to be placing importance upon, like art. In the illustration of Amy and Laurie, Amy seems to be drawing in a notebook. This, coupled with the detailed illustrations themselves, suggest that art and the freedom to express oneself were valued by the Alcott sisters. Also, the illustration captioned “The Professor and Tina” displays a desk covered with papers and books in the background, implying that they also placed importance on education. These additional themes and the Alcotts’ decision to use art to convey them display that while they supported some traditional aspects of womanhood, perhaps Louisa and Abigail could also be considered early feminists. Because education and art were not aspects of the conventional role for nineteenth-century women, the Alcott sisters’ support for these ideals displayed in these illustrations suggests that Little Women is not just a tale of four sisters, but rather an important text about women’s liberation and freedom.
If the Alcott sisters did, in fact, collaborate on this version of Little Women, it is likely that together they carefully chose which scenes to illustrate. There are only three illustrations throughout this section of the novel: one of Jo’s husband, Professor Bhaer, holding a little girl, Tina, another of Amy (working in a notebook) and Laurie chatting outside, and finally, one of Jo and Beth sitting together on a beach. If the sisters collaborated on the novel, it is plausible that they chose to illustrate these three scenes because they deemed them some of the most important scenes, or most representative of what they believed to be the novel’s key ideas. These three illustrations seem to depict related themes that are prevalent throughout the novel: love, family, sisterly bonds. Thus, the illustrations work as supplements to the text itself to further highlight these significant themes. Louisa and Abigail’s decision to include illustrations suggests not only the importance of these ideas in the novel, but also that they could have been important in the sisters’ real lives as well. The illustrations also express other themes that the Alcott sisters seem to be placing importance upon, like art. In the illustration of Amy and Laurie, Amy seems to be drawing in a notebook. This, coupled with the detailed illustrations themselves, suggest that art and the freedom to express oneself were valued by the Alcott sisters. Also, the illustration captioned “The Professor and Tina” displays a desk covered with papers and books in the background, implying that they also placed importance on education. These additional themes and the Alcotts’ decision to use art to convey them display that while they supported some traditional aspects of womanhood, perhaps Louisa and Abigail could also be considered early feminists. Because education and art were not aspects of the conventional role for nineteenth-century women, the Alcott sisters’ support for these ideals displayed in these illustrations suggests that Little Women is not just a tale of four sisters, but rather an important text about women’s liberation and freedom.
Creator
Louisa May Alcott
Source
Manhattan College, Fales Collection
Publisher
Roberts Bros.
Date
1869
Contributor
May Alcott- illustrator
Rights
Manhattan College Library
Format
octavo, 389 pages, 3 illustrations
Type
novel
Files
Citation
Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women, Part Second,” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed September 16, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/14.