The author of Little Women and other beloved classics, Louisa May Alcott grew up in a community of New England transcendentalists that included Thoreau and Emerson. Because her learned but impractical father was a poor provider, she supported her family by writing magazine stories that were often published anonymously.
This collection reveals the ‘other’ Alcott, featuring ‘Behind a Mask’ and ‘Pauline’s Passion and Punishment, ‘ thrilling tales of seduction, betrayal, and murder that strike a markedly different tone and characterization from Alcott’s best-known work. Other selections include two pieces from Hospital Sketches, the author’s fictionalized accounts of her Civil War nursing experiences; ‘My Contraband, ‘ a tale of vengeance involving a Civil War nurse, her Confederate patient, and his former slave; ‘Happy Women, ‘ concerning four ‘spinsters’ with a positive attitude toward their marital status; and ‘How I Went Out to Service, ‘ an autobiographical sketch of a young woman’s pursuit of financial independence.
قائمة المحتويات
Contents
From Hospital Sketches (1863)
I. Obtaining Supplies
IV. A Night
My Contraband (1863)
Pauline’s Passion and Punishment (published anonymously; 1863)
Behind a Mask (writing as A. M. Barnard; 1866)
Happy Women (1868)
How I Went Out to Service (1874)
عن المؤلف
Best known as the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (1832–88) grew up in a community of New England transcendentalists that included Thoreau and Emerson. Because her learned but impractical father was a poor provider, she supported her family by writing stories for magazines while she was still a teenager. Alcott worked in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War as a nurse, recording her experiences in Hospital Sketches, and her many novels are particularly noteworthy for their portraits of strong, self-reliant heroines.