The thing I love the most about Little women is that it depicts domestic life as no less intense than a battlefield - caring for an ailing family member, selling your hair for money to support your mother, refusing marriage proposals are all depictions of heroism in the domestic realm. Despite the fear of crushing poverty threatening her family Louisa made Jo’s character to formidably pour her stories out and bring them to the publisher’s deck because she knew that life will never allow a woman, entrenched deeply into domestic life and other demanding roles of womanhood, to write in leisure. But the beauty of the story is that even after all weights of the world she writes anyway and that makes all the difference. In my opinion this story is the most realistic view of womanhood across time and geography. We shall never be free from being a daughter, sister, wife and mother, but we have to write anyway.
Thank you Freya for this beautiful piece reminding me why I loved this story so much. I watched the animated series for the first time when I was only 11 along with my mumma. Such happy times. Now that I have become a woman I really understand what is at stake when you are a woman with a family who just wants to be free and sell stories for money. There cannot be a story I can relate to better than this one. 💜
I love all of this so so much and whole heartedly agree--and love how it's a story of women that transcends time and place but at it's core is still about women and what it's like to be a woman--and a mother/daughter/sister--who also wants to be independent. And a writer. :) And there is something so powerful about coming to a story as a child and loving it, and re-reading it as an adult and understanding it from an adult woman's perspective--and loving it all the more. 💜 Love that it holds that space for so many of us.
The 8-week summer camp for girls (run by three "spinsters") that saved me as a kid, and that we couldn't really afford after my parents disastrous 1970s divorce that left my mother broke, had an autographed full set of the Little Women books. I remember showing the camp director, in case they should be put someplace safe, and she said "They're safe with you, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one reading them." At any rate, my feminism as the oldest sister of brothers, oldest girl cousin of boys, was absolutely formed by Jo March, and her fake marriage so she could run her academy, and the long-arc story of how she navigated being smart, and not "feminine" and loving, and useful. Count me among the many women for whom she's a touchstone. And thank you for the intel on Abigail.
How amazing (and frustrating!) to have a signed set and have them be dismissed! Wow. And I love your story--of how much these characters and books hold meaning in our lives, especially in the whirl of childhood and divorce and things that don't always make sense. Thanks for sharing and reading. 💜🙏
Oh it was more loving than dismissive. They really did think they were safe with me (and they were). But I read all of them over and over. Loved Jo's Boys.
Also! There's good food in the some of the later books!
Thanks really interesting essay - I knew nothing about Little Women until recently. I watched the Gerwig film a couple of weeks ago (after seeing Barbie, and I'd seen Little Bird when it came out as well, and thought that as excellent) and really enjoyed it.
I really liked her take on Little Women--felt more real and true to how the book reads. That last scene where she sees her book being made....that's just my absolute favorite part and love the time they took in showing that. Thanks fo reading!
“a life of the hearth—of a hearth to leave and return to, back and forth—is anything but limited” SUCH a great read. Fierce, burning, powerful. Thank you!
The thing I love the most about Little women is that it depicts domestic life as no less intense than a battlefield - caring for an ailing family member, selling your hair for money to support your mother, refusing marriage proposals are all depictions of heroism in the domestic realm. Despite the fear of crushing poverty threatening her family Louisa made Jo’s character to formidably pour her stories out and bring them to the publisher’s deck because she knew that life will never allow a woman, entrenched deeply into domestic life and other demanding roles of womanhood, to write in leisure. But the beauty of the story is that even after all weights of the world she writes anyway and that makes all the difference. In my opinion this story is the most realistic view of womanhood across time and geography. We shall never be free from being a daughter, sister, wife and mother, but we have to write anyway.
Thank you Freya for this beautiful piece reminding me why I loved this story so much. I watched the animated series for the first time when I was only 11 along with my mumma. Such happy times. Now that I have become a woman I really understand what is at stake when you are a woman with a family who just wants to be free and sell stories for money. There cannot be a story I can relate to better than this one. 💜
I love all of this so so much and whole heartedly agree--and love how it's a story of women that transcends time and place but at it's core is still about women and what it's like to be a woman--and a mother/daughter/sister--who also wants to be independent. And a writer. :) And there is something so powerful about coming to a story as a child and loving it, and re-reading it as an adult and understanding it from an adult woman's perspective--and loving it all the more. 💜 Love that it holds that space for so many of us.
The 8-week summer camp for girls (run by three "spinsters") that saved me as a kid, and that we couldn't really afford after my parents disastrous 1970s divorce that left my mother broke, had an autographed full set of the Little Women books. I remember showing the camp director, in case they should be put someplace safe, and she said "They're safe with you, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one reading them." At any rate, my feminism as the oldest sister of brothers, oldest girl cousin of boys, was absolutely formed by Jo March, and her fake marriage so she could run her academy, and the long-arc story of how she navigated being smart, and not "feminine" and loving, and useful. Count me among the many women for whom she's a touchstone. And thank you for the intel on Abigail.
How amazing (and frustrating!) to have a signed set and have them be dismissed! Wow. And I love your story--of how much these characters and books hold meaning in our lives, especially in the whirl of childhood and divorce and things that don't always make sense. Thanks for sharing and reading. 💜🙏
Oh it was more loving than dismissive. They really did think they were safe with me (and they were). But I read all of them over and over. Loved Jo's Boys.
Also! There's good food in the some of the later books!
O good! How lucky and yes--the food is so great! I loved Jo's Boys too. 💜
That hand-tracing is precious! Loved this edition, Freya! Thanks!
It is rather beautiful isn't it? 💜 Thanks so much for reading!
Thanks really interesting essay - I knew nothing about Little Women until recently. I watched the Gerwig film a couple of weeks ago (after seeing Barbie, and I'd seen Little Bird when it came out as well, and thought that as excellent) and really enjoyed it.
I really liked her take on Little Women--felt more real and true to how the book reads. That last scene where she sees her book being made....that's just my absolute favorite part and love the time they took in showing that. Thanks fo reading!
Yes, such a good ending!
I really enjoyed this one, thank you Freya.
Story idea for you: Ultimate Fight Club card - Abigail vs. Phyliss Schlafly🤼♀️
Thanks Patrick--and ha--that would be quite the fight club set up! :)
“a life of the hearth—of a hearth to leave and return to, back and forth—is anything but limited” SUCH a great read. Fierce, burning, powerful. Thank you!
Thanks so much Kara 💜