5/23/2023 0 Comments Little women & good wivesAlcott balances what was a pervading social norm of the time well with characters who dwell between the two extremes of total domesticity and entire independence. This is not why I originally enjoyed the series. The result is a steady paced source of good old fashioned entertainment. But it is not merely the element of one of these themes that has garnered it success-it is the blending of them all. It may be seen as an early cry for female independence (at a time when it was actually needed), a quest for self-success, a story of love, or simply a portrayal of simpler, yet turbulent, times. It has been viewed through many lenses, and has withstood the test of both adoring and critical eyes. We read it as children, identifying with the young characters, and then we re-read it as adults, realizing anew the themes that may have once escaped us. What can I say about this magnificent series that hasn’t been praised before? It has survived the roiling waves of the literary ocean since 1868 with great ease and nobility.
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