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Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

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judgingamy
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Oh well done! I loved loved loved this post! When I re-read the book in college, I stopped being shocked by the Freidrich ending. And I love the way you interpret Amy. Some people think she's a brat, but I always thought she just knew what she wanted.
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leslieannelevine
06/26/09

@judgingnora: Sure she knew what she wanted, but that can be part of being a brat. What got her there, I thought, was her complete lack of consideration for others in grabbing after what she wanted. Selfish selfish selfish. And she never has to suffer for it at all.
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rocknrollunicorn
06/26/09

@leslieannelevine: Typical youngest child, though! (says the oldest child. Who adores her baby brother and, yes, would probably give him anything including a Laurie).
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Ipomoea
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I haven't read this since I was probably 11, and I was going to re-read it this summer, but it's one of the texts for my Children's Literature class this fall. Do I re-read it twice this year???
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Ipomoea
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
"The violent, inappropriate wave of possessiveness that sweeps over whenever a work I treasure is up for public discussion is one of the many reasons I am unfit for book clubs."

I love you, Lizzie. I love that you have this as your book club, where we can all be violently possessive of our books together.
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syneblue
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I made the grave mistake of seeing the movie (hey, I was ten!) before reading the book. Now, the theater of my overactive book-illustrating imagination is always in a tither over why that shoplifting woman broke up with Batman. Sigh.
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Ipomoea
06/26/09

@syneblue: That's okay. I saw the movie and got all in a tither that Angela Chase died. And I'd read the book before, but my MSCL devotion swamped my Alcott love.
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ChildBride
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I remember being so skeptical when the movie was announced with Winona Ryder as Jo. In the book, Jo is tall, freckled, loud, and clumsy, with huge hands and feet and a ton of crazy hair. Sort of Julia Roberts-looking. But Winona actually did well.
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LooseBaggyMonster
06/26/09

@ChildBride: I feel like I'm alone on this, but Winona did not capture Jo for me at all. Ryder never comes across as remotely spirited.
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LBB
06/26/09

@LooseBaggyMonster: Same here. I didn't buy Claire Danes as timid Beth either. Susan Sarandon as Marmee FTW, however.
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Francie Nolan
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I've never read this book. Next time I go on a book buying spree, this will be on my list!
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LBB
06/26/09

@Francie Nolan: Or you could read it here for free.
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hfree
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
If you love this book, you must go to the Alcott house in Concord. It's fascinating. Especially May Alcott's drawings on the walls of the girls room, it gives you a new appreciation of Amy. And the it was used for the exterior of the movie!
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susanstohelit
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I read Little Women so many times as a kid. I loved it, even though now in retrospect I find the moralizing a little over the top. I always cried when Beth died :(

Am I the only one who preferred Friederich? I always thought Laurie was so much sillier than Jo, and his love for her seemed so selfish, but I liked Friederich's quiet love. I reread their love scene in the rain sooo many times. (I guess that was a good indication that I liked older men :P)
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rocknrollunicorn
06/26/09

@susanstohelit: So I've only seen the '90s movie, but I adore Friederich. His Germanness, including the accent. He obviously adores her and really respects her writing, and challenges her and introduces her to new things. I think she needs an older dude too, she's so headstrong.

So, yes. Though I'm sure the Gabriel Byrne-ness helps.
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sciencerules
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I adored this book when young. Still do, in fact--it's amazing how much the principles and characters hold up to a modern reader. Especially Jo. And Amy, the little brat who turns out beautifully anyway.

I also cannot make it through the Thomas Newman score to the scene where Beth dies without tearing up. Sigh.
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JosephFinn
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Hoo boy, do you need to read Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Fat...; that'll give you some interesting background on Jo and Mr. March, as well as Marmie (Bronson Alcott was not the most successful, stay at home kind of man). I had no idea until I'd read it how much of a commune existence the Alcotts had in Louisa's childhood, or how involved they were with the Transcendentalists. It's a fascinating book that really does illuminate a lot of Little Women's quirks.
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JosephFinn
06/26/09

@JosephFinn: AAACK! NO idea why "Father" was truncated in that title. My fault.
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NellMood
06/26/09

@JosephFinn: That sounds really interesting. I knew a little bit about the commune stuff, but not much. I'll have to try to find a copy of this.
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tscheese
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I really liked the fact that Jo turned down Laurie, but I was sort of bummed that she turned right around and OMG GUTEN TAG! HERR BHAER STARE.

I guess she was unusual for her time, though, because when many women were getting married in their late teens, Jo didn't get married until her thirties, right? And she chose someone sort of unusual and awkward and eclectic, who didn't have much money. I guess it worked, but I sort of wanted her to be a Super Aunt Lesbian or something.
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Laulau
06/26/09

@tscheese: Wouldn't Jo have been more like 25 tops? I may be misremembering here. But no worries on Super Aunt Lesbian, Alcott finally gets there with Nan. It would have been like a hundred million bonus points if Nan could have even just had a "roommate" instead of just being confined to growing old alone, "happy" to help her friends raise their families.
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Scout 3.0
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
I always had a question. What did Beth die of? It seems like she just withered away.
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NellMood
06/26/09

@Scout 3.0: I think scarlet fever?
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tscheese
06/26/09

@Scout 3.0: I feel like there was some sort of article on like Slate awhile back about how heroines in classic literature always died of the slightest little thing. But I can't find it now.
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NellMood
06/26/09

@tscheese: I know- it's always two coughs and then DEATH.
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Laulau
06/26/09

@Scout 3.0: I think the scarlet fever was supposed to weaken her heart, which eventually killed her. My dad had scarlet fever as a child, and it did, in fact, affect his heart. He has to abstain religiously from caffeine up to this day.

But, on the other hand, Beth did fit the 19th-century-weak-TB-heroine thing to a T. Boo for lame tropes.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
06/26/09

@NellMood: You just made me spit on my monitor. Literally. I'm not even exaggerating. I am so not a lady like chuckler.

Anyway, thank GOD everyone else went home already. That would have been embarassing.
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NellMood
06/26/09

@Zombie MissSkittles is not your kind of lady: Ha! Sorry, computer! I love acting out the 19th century ladylike death cough. Nicole Kidman portrays it really well in Moulin Rouge.
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SunburnedCounsel
06/26/09

@Scout 3.0: My mum told me it was cancer, but that might have just been her trying to make it more 20th century for me.
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Cunning_Linguist
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
When Jo first sets out in the world to sell her stories, an editor rejects them, telling her, "'People want to be amused, not preached at, you know. Morals don't sell nowadays.'" Alcott appends this wisdom with: "....which was not quite a correct statement, by the way."

Alcott wrote in her journal, "I don't really enjoy this sort of thing. Never liked kids or knew many, except my sisters, but our queer plays and experiences may prove interesting, though I doubt it." And she also called her YA as "moral pap for children." She apparently wrote a lot of steamier stuff under pen names and enjoyed that a lot more. She did it for the money, yo.
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Laulau
06/26/09

@Cunning_Linguist: I've read the adult stuff, and it's still pretty moralistic. But way gothic, which given Jo's interests, does sound like it was more up Alcott's alley.
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Laulau
06/26/09

@Cunning_Linguist: Oh, but have you read her intro or whatever to the last book in the Little Women series, whatever comes after Little Men? It's awesome - she basically says that if anyone asks what happened after this installment, she's just going to say all of the characters died in some catastrophe. She was clearly so over it.
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CurtCole
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Josephine, there's a draft!!!
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save jinger
06/26/09

@CurtCole: Sally Moffat! You won't be able to draw your laces.

I love you, CurtCole.
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zombie.nancy is a godess of fierce
06/26/09

In reply to Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
OMG. This is my favorite book.

'In the Garrett' - that poem about the four sisters - sets off torrents of tears
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