The popular novel drew largely upon her personal experiences. The second of four daughters, Alcott began her writing to support her perpetually impoverished family.
Her strong and loving mother was a significant force in her life. Beginning with the publication of the poem Sunlight under a pseudonym in , Alcott poured forth a variety of thrillers, poems, potboilers and an occasional juvenile tale.
At the urging of her publisher there, Alcott undertook the writing of Little Women. Two more sisters, Elizabeth and Abby May would succeed. To assist him with teaching, he relied on two of the brightest women in Boston—Elizabeth Peabody and Margaret Fuller, who were also Transcendentalists. When Bronson Alcott enrolled a young African American girl in his school, insisting on a school policy of color blindness, parents withdrew their children and the school closed by Alcott nearly went bankrupt.
Meanwhile, his family was living in Concord in one of several houses they would occupy and Louisa was being educated at home. Bronson Alcott was a brilliant philosopher and educator, but a dismal provider. In , he moved his family to Harvard, Massachusetts, where he hoped to establish a model community called Fruitlands.
She and her small daughters struggled to keep household and farm going while the men went about the countryside philosophizing. The harsh reality of winter brought an end to Fruitlands, and the Alcotts returned to Concord where they took another house near Emerson called Hillside.
Meanwhile, Louisa and her older sister took teaching positions to earn money. Louisa was now living in Boston, taking in sewing, serving as a governess, reading, and working to improve her writing. What money she made, she sent home to Concord. Receive our email newsletter to get schedule updates, exclusive features, and news on shows including Grantchester. Skip to content Join The Conversation. Our Sponsors:.
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