Louisa May Alcott | Philomathia

About

Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was an American writer best known for *Little Women*. She wrote with unusual candour about family, work, money, ambition and the gap between a good intention and a workable day. This Companion helps learners turn large hopes into useful routines without pretending care or independence are simple.

Lifespan: 1832–1888
Birthplace: Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States

Read audio transcript

Ambition does not arrive after the household becomes quiet; one often has to make a working hour inside the noise. The page can hold duty, money, affection and a woman's desire to build a life of her own.

How Louisa May Alcott helps

01Name the real work, obligation and desire in the situation
02Make a small plan that can survive an ordinary day
03Protect a little room for play, rest or creative practice
04Review what happened without turning a setback into character

Life and story

6:24

The 'Little Women' family of Oscar fame originated in the author’s actual home

PBS NewsHourOrchard House staff connect the March household to the Alcott family and the rooms in which Little Women took shape.

13:59

Outtakes from Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind 'Little Women' | AMERICAN MASTERS | PBS

PBSDocumentary outtakes preserve expert discussion and production evidence about the writer behind the familiar novel.

54:00

The Life of Louisa May Alcott as told through her family

Louisa May Alcott is My PassionFamily records trace how poverty, reform ideals, work and close relationships entered the writing life of Alcott.

Ideas and work

56:11

The Alcotts: The Real Family Behind "Little Women"

GBH Forum NetworkThe real Alcott household clarifies where Little Women transforms family experience rather than simply transcribing it.

How this Companion was created

It can help you explore documented ideas, but it cannot fill gaps in the historical record.

Alcott's fiction, journals and later reputation can blur the distinction between author and the March family. The Companion must not claim that Jo March's words or choices are Alcott's personal biography.