Louisa May Alcott

Background

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown (now in Philadelphia), U.S, to Abby May and Amos Bronson Alcott. Her mother was a social worker, and her father was an educator associated with the transcendentalist movement. Alcott was the second of four daughters, Abigail May Alcott and Elizabeth Sewall Alcott being the youngest, and Anna Bronson Alcott being the eldest. The family relocated to Boston in 1834 when her father set up an experimental school.

Growing up, her personality can be described as a ‘tomboy’ who enjoyed playing the ‘boys’ games and liked being independent. Under the care of her father and his beliefs, she grew up to be a perfectionist. She learned about the larger issues of society, like the inequality of sexes, from her mother, who passed on a strong desire to redress the wrongdoings of women. Her family moved a lot, relocating over 20 times in about 30 years before settling in Concord in 1857. The author’s early education comprised private lessons from her father and his friend, Henry David Thoreau. Moreover, she received instructions from several educators and writers, such as Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julia Ward Howe, and Nathaniel Hawthrone, from time to time. However, deprivation and poverty compelled her to start working at an early age. She served various roles, such as a domestic helper, teacher, writer, governess, and seamstress.

In 1854, Alcott wrote her first play, titled “The Rival Prima Donnas.” She started writing for a magazine named “Atlantic Monthly” in 1860. She first gained critical recognition for her work in the early 1860s, which was later compiled as the “Hospital Sketches.” She penned a novel named “Moods” in 1864, which also gained traction. Since then, she began writing gothic thrillers for various famous papers and magazines under a pen name. Major success came her way with the publishing of “Little Women.” Alcott passed away in 1888 due to a stroke.