南北戰爭時期，在馬薩諸塞州的一所舊房子裏，住着馬奇一傢。馬奇先生隨軍照顧傷員去了，傢中留下他善良的太太和四個女兒。在母親的影響下，四姐妹時常幫助窮人，她們甚至將聖誕節早餐送給了一傢窮苦的人。鄰居勞倫斯老先生聽說此事後，準備了一桌大餐作為送給她們的聖誕禮物。喬同老先生的孫子勞裏情投意合，梅格則對勞裏的家庭教師約翰一見傾心。艾米有時會和喬鬧彆扭，但很快就重歸於好。一封電報帶來了不幸：馬奇先生病重住院。馬奇太太趕往華盛頓，馬奇傢籠罩在一層陰霾中。四姐妹互助、互勵，度過了難關。不久，母親和大病初愈的父親回到傢中。一傢人又幸福地聚在一起。四年後，梅格和約翰結為夫婦。勞裏嚮喬傾訴愛慕之情，遭到回絶；勞裏遠赴歐洲，在法國尼斯，偶遇艾米。喬以她和姊妹們的生活為素材創作了一部小說。馬奇傢又熱鬧了起來。嬸婆死後將她的房子留給了喬，喬將其改建成一所學校。
《小婦人》-作者簡介
路易莎•奧爾科特（LouisaMayAlcott，1832－1888），美國作傢。1832年11月 29日出生在賓夕法尼亞州的傑曼鎮（Germantown）。她的父親布郎遜•奧爾科特是馬薩諸塞州康科德一位自學成纔的哲學家、學校改革傢和烏托邦主義者。他一生沉迷於對理想的追求，以至無力擔負家庭生活。維持生計的擔子先是落到他的妻子身上，而後又落到他那富有進取精神的二女兒路易莎•奧爾科特身上，路易莎到學校教過書，當過女裁縫、護士，做過洗熨活，15歲時還出去做過傭人。
路易莎10歲時便已熱心於業餘戲劇演出，15歲時寫出第一部情節劇，21歲開始發表詩歌及小品。
1868 年，一位出版商建議她寫一部關於“女孩子的書”，她便根據孩提的記憶寫成《小婦人》。書中把自己描寫成喬•馬奇，她的姐妹安娜、亞碧、伊麗莎白便分別成為梅格、艾美、貝思。書中的許多故事取材於現實生活，不過現實生活中的奧爾科特一傢經濟狀況遠不如她筆下的馬奇一傢。出於作者意料的是《小婦人》打動了無數美國讀者，尤其是女性讀者的心弦。之後，路易莎又續寫了《小男人》和《喬的男孩子們》，1873年又以小說形式出版了自傳著作《經驗的故事》。
路易莎成名後，繼續撰寫小說和故事，並投身於婦女選舉運動和禁酒運動。美國內戰期間她在華盛頓做過軍隊救護人員，後來，她還擔任過一傢兒童刊物（RobertMerry'sMuseum）的編輯。她於1888年3月 6日在波士頓去世。
《小婦人》-內容分析
馬奇一傢有四個姐妹，生活清貧、簡單而又溫馨。四組妹性格迥異；老大梅格漂亮端莊，有些愛慕虛榮；老二喬自由獨立，渴望成為作傢，老三貝絲善良羞澀，熱愛音樂，老四埃米聰慧活潑，愛好藝術，希望成為一名上流社會的 “淑女”。
所有時代的所有少女成長過程中所要面對的經歷的，都可以在這本書中找到：初戀的甜蜜和煩惱，感情與理智的選譯，理想和現實的差距，貧窮與富有的矛盾。
《小婦人》故事情節簡單真實，卻感人至深，問世一百多年以來，多次被般上銀幕，並被譯成各種文字，成為世界文學寶庫中的經典名作。書中描寫的種種情感體驗和生活經歷，都曾經、正在並將要發生在每一個少女走嚮成熟的過程之中；書中提倡善良、忠誠、無私、慷慨、尊嚴、寬容、堅韌、勇敢、亦是人類永遠尊崇和追求的美德和信低仰。所有這些，賦予這本書超趙時代和國度的生命力，這也正是她成為不朽的典的魅力和原因所在。
《小婦人》-演員介紹
《小婦人》薇諾娜•瑞德
薇諾娜•瑞德1971年10月出生於明尼蘇達州，父母是60年代的嬉皮士——熱愛自由，反對主流文化。他們以一座明尼蘇達州的小鎮的名字作為女兒的名字。薇諾娜從小受到家庭的溺愛，生活十分美滿幸福。在是作傢的父親的影響下，她從小就酷愛看書，掌握了大量知識。而幼年時對經典電影的迷戀，使她下决心要當一名演員。上高中後，她加入了學校的劇團，活躍在戲劇舞臺上。她具有極好的表演天賦，又十分肯虛心鑽研學習，高中畢業後，就與經紀人簽約拍電影。
在好萊塢衆多女星中，要在不同時期獲得偉大導演的賞識實屬不易，但薇諾娜卻可以獲得不同領域導演的一致贊賞，不管是喜劇、科幻、恐怖、或是使壞，薇諾娜瑞德都在用盡全力，努力的扮演一個女演員的角色。1988年《甲殼蟲汁》一片使觀衆註意到這個有着一雙慧黠大眼的女星。在演過多部少女片後，1991年接演吉姆•賈木許的《地球之夜》正式邁入成熟角色，而次年大導演柯波拉的《驚情四百年》更將她推上票房明星的地位，自此成為好萊塢新一代的接班女星之一。
《小婦人》-幕後製作
露易莎•梅•阿爾考特的經典自傳體小說，強調個人尊嚴和自立自律的重要，富有強烈的感染力，屬於女性題材的保留劇目。這個版本編劇、表演、攝影均取得不俗的成績，可與1933年版媲美。1933年的黑白版由喬治•科剋導演、凱瑟琳•赫本主演，乃該劇的經典版；1949年的彩色版陣容更豪華，包括伊麗莎白•泰勒等，但總體成績稍遜一籌；1978年的電視版最弱。
《小婦人》-影片評價
《小婦人》是莎士比亞之後被改編成電影的次數最多的小說之一，露伊斯•梅•阿爾科特的小說提供了非常有趣的情節，它以馬奇姐妹的生活麗成為綫索，隨着她們的成長和變化，處理永恆的愛與死的問題。除了故事本身在場景設置在十九世紀六十年代而引人註目，人物及其相互關係——父與子，朋友與愛人——都屬於永不過時的主題。這些都成了這部小說不斷地被改編成電影的永遠的驅動力。相對於其他版本的電影，三十年代好萊塢高峰期的這一部也算得上極為優秀的一部，它以對小說原著的忠實而取勝，而凱瑟琳•赫本扮演的喬•馬奇也楚楚動人，深入人心。
沒有激動人心的章回，也沒有跌宕起伏的情節，她如一條淙淙流淌的小溪，交織着對愛的忠誠、對親情的渴望，讓人感覺仿佛像在寒冷凜冽的鼕季，坐在溫暖的火爐邊，讀一本讓人感動得落淚的小說或喝着一杯濃香四溢的咖啡，泛着微微的漣漪，《小婦人》給我的更多的是一種溫馨。
梅格，一個有着花一樣容貌的女孩，大大的眼睛，甜甜的笑容，一頭棕色秀發又濃又厚，她雖然有點愛慕虛榮，但她為了愛情而甘於貧睏，放棄了馬奇嬸嬸的遺産，嫁給了清貧的布魯剋先生，過着苦中帶甜的幸福生活。她放棄了享受榮華富貴的夢想，卻換來了自己一生的幸福。她在家庭的磨難中體會到了一傢人的和睦、互愛纔是最珍貴的財富，所以她選擇了令她一生富有的愛情。梅格，花一般美麗，人美，心美。
貝思是一個典型的“小寧靜”，酷愛音樂，有着一雙明亮的眼睛，紅潤的膚色，潤澤的秀發，她處處為別人着想，默默地為別人付出自己的關愛當面對死亡的時候，當整整一天都是大雪紛飛、狂風怒吼的時候，她蒼白而平靜的臉上沒有所謂的怨天尤人，她總是充滿希望地說：“很快都會好起來的。”她的病痛使周圍的人無限的悲痛。如果一個人不願意付出，那麽他也永遠不會得到回報。尤其在睏難之際，關心與真情尤為重要，是一個人不可或缺的生命之柱。而這些都需要我們平日做到真誠與關愛。
艾米，我覺得她是一個很具藝術感的女孩，熱愛繪畫，對事物有着自己的審美，似乎是姐妹中最有靈氣的，但有強的虛榮心，但是她既善良，又堅強，一直以扶貧濟睏為己任，在國外的幾年，讓她更加成熟，也因為勞裏，她明白了“有了金錢但卻不懂得自尊自重是並不能得到幸福的”，她也逐漸成長為一個惹人喜愛的小婦人。
《小婦人》-花絮
剋裏斯蒂娜•裏奇曾為小艾米一角試鏡，但是剋裏斯滕•鄧斯特得到了這個角色。娜塔麗•波特曼也曾來試鏡。拍攝中，剋萊爾•丹尼斯拿着蠟燭上樓時頭髮被燒着了。•影片結尾寫着獻給兩個人，一個是被綁架的12歲加州女孩PollyKlaas，後來發現時已經被殺。另一個是薇諾娜•瑞德，她跟這個女孩都來自Petaluma，她為女孩的搜救行動奔走疾呼，付出了很多努力。布景設計師拷貝了小說作者路易莎•梅•愛爾考特在馬薩諸塞州康科德(Concord)的傢。愛爾考特是在傢中完成的小說創作，並把事件發生的場景想象成傢裏。片中艾米給姑媽所讀的聖經是《利未記》基督教聖經《舊約全書》中的一捲)第22章的內容。
《小婦人》-書摘
喬和梅格坐在一起做針綫時，發現姐姐有了很大的進步。她能得體地談話，知道許多有關良傢婦女的衝動、想法以及感情。她從丈夫和孩子們身上得到了很大的幸福，他們都為對方盡着力。
“婚姻畢竟是一件極好的事情。要是我試試，不知結局會不會有你一半好？”喬說。她在弄得亂七八糟的育兒室裏為德米製作一個風箏。
“你所需要的正是露出你性格中女子溫柔的那一半，喬。你就像一個帶殼的慄子，外面多刺，內裏卻光滑柔軟。要是有人能接近，還有個甜果仁。將來有一天，愛情會使你表露心跡的，那時你的殼便脫落了。”“夫人，嚴霜會凍開慄殼，使勁搖會搖下慄子。男孩子們好采慄子。可是，我不喜歡讓他們用口袋裝着，”喬答道。她在繼續粘着風箏。這個風箏無論颳什麽風都上不了天，因為黛西把自己當作風箏尾巴係在了上面。
梅格笑了。她高興地看到了一點喬的老脾氣。但是她覺得，用她所能想到的全部論據來堅持她的觀點，這是她的責任。姐妹倆的談話沒有白費，特別是因為梅格兩個最有說服力的論據是孩子們，喬溫柔地愛着他們。喬幾乎做好準備被裝進口袋了：還需要照些陽光，使慄子成熟。然後，不是被男孩焦躁地搖落，而是一個男人的手伸上去，輕輕地剝開殼，就會發現果仁成熟甜美。假使她曾懷疑到這一點，她會緊緊封閉起來的，會比以前更刺人，所幸的是她沒有想到自己。所以時間一到，她這個慄子便掉落下來了。
要說喬是道德故事書中的女主人公的話，那麽，在她生活的這一時起，她應該變得十分聖潔，應該退隱，應該口袋裏裝着宗教傳單，戴着清心寡欲的帽子，四處去做善事。可是，要知道，喬不是一個女主人公。像成百上千的其他姑娘一樣她衹是個掙紮着的凡人。所以，她依着性子行事。她悲哀、焦躁、不安，或者精神飽滿，隨心境而定。我們要做好人，這樣說非常有道德，可是我們不可能立馬就做得到。需要有人長期的引導、有力的引導，還要大傢同心協力去幫助，我們中有些人甚至才能正確起步。到目前為止，喬起步不錯。
她學着盡自己的責任，盡不到責便會感到不快樂。可是心甘情願地去做--哦，這是另一碼事了！她常說要做些出色的事，不管那有多難。現在她實現了願望。因為，一生奉獻給爸爸媽媽，努力使他們感到家庭幸福，就像他們讓她感到的那樣，有什麽比這件事更美好的呢？這樣一個焦躁不安、雄心勃勃的姑娘，放棄了自己的希望、計劃和意願，無怨無悔地為別人活着。假如需要用睏難來增加努力的美妙之處的話，還有什麽比這更難做到的呢？
上帝相信了她的話；使命就在這裏，並不是她所期待的，但是更好，因為她自己和它沒有關係。那麽，她能完成任務嗎？她决定一試。在最初的嘗試中，她找到了我提出的那些幫助。還有別的幫助給她，她也接受了，不是作為奬賞，而是作為安慰，就像基督徒跋涉睏難之山，在小樹下歇息時，小樹使他提神一樣。
“你為什麽不寫點東西呢？以前那總會使你快樂的，”一次，媽媽見喬又來了陣消沉情緒，臉色陰沉，便這樣說道。
“我沒有心思寫。即使寫了，也沒人喜歡讀。”“我們喜歡。為我們寫點東西吧。千萬別在乎別的人。親愛的，試試吧。我肯定那會對你有好處，而且使我們非常高興。”
“我不相信我能寫了。”然而，喬搬出了她的桌子，開始翻查她寫了一半的一些手稿。
一小時以後，媽媽朝屋裏瞥了一眼，喬就坐在那裏。她圍着黑圍裙，全神貫註，不停地塗寫着。馬奇太太為她的建議奏效感到高興，她笑着悄悄走開了。喬一點也不知道這是怎麽發生的。某種東西夾進了故事，打動了讀者。當她的傢人讀着故事又哭又笑時，爸爸將它寄給了一傢通俗雜志，這是完全違反她的意願的。使她大吃一驚的是，雜志社不僅付了她稿酬，而且還要求她再寫些故事。這個小故事登出來後，她收到了一些人的來信，這些人的贊揚是種榮譽。報紙也轉載了這個故事。朋友們及陌生的人們都贊賞它。對這樣的一個小東西來說，這是巨大的成功。以前喬的小說同時遭人褒貶，現在她比那時更為感到驚訝。
“我不懂，像那麽一個小姑娘，能有什麽讓人們這樣誇贊的？”她十分睏惑地說。
“故事裏有真實的東西，喬，這就是秘密。幽默與悲哀使故事生動。你終於找到了自己的風格。你沒有想着名譽和金錢，而是在用心寫作，我的女兒。你嘗過了痛苦，現在有了甜蜜。你要盡力去做，像我們一樣，為你的成功快樂起來吧。“假如我寫的東西裏當真有什麽好的、真實的東西，那不是我的功勞。這一切都得歸於您和媽媽，還有貝思，”喬說。爸爸的話比外界的任何贊揚都更使她感動。
《小婦人》-穿幫鏡頭
當勞利看艾米畫畫時他扔了2次他的香煙。艾米去學校時撿了2次掉在地上的小黑板。喬和弗雷德裏奇在劇院觀看《PearlFishers》，而這部1863年在巴黎公演的劇直到1892年纔登陸美國，早已過了電影中故事發生的時間。當喬給勞利寫信時，結尾處她讓他“回到我們身邊”，但是對信的特寫鏡頭顯示的字是“回到我身邊”。當喬在街上遇到弗雷德裏奇時，裙邊被街上的泥濘弄髒了，但是到了屋子裏裙子又變幹淨了。
《小婦人》-同名動畫片
基本資料
日本動畫片《小婦人》
原 片 名：若草物語より若草の四姉妹
出品年代：1981年
出品公司：國際映畫社
國別歸屬：日本
劇集總數：26集
劇情簡介
以南北戰爭時期美國北部的堅毅家庭為舞臺。一邊期待着上戰場打仗的父親可以快點回來，個性豐厚的四姊妹追逐著各自的夢想而成長著。
歌麯
片頭麯
藍天裏多美妙，白雲裊裊，我追求光，追求明天幸福的理想。吹起那歡快的口哨，沃野萬頃，小草青青。你看，你看，我找到了幸福。你看，你看，我找到了幸福。我願和你分享，也和她啊……我們大傢，得到了，得到了幸福。我願和你分享，也和她啊……我們大傢得到了，得到了幸福。
片尾麯
起舞吧，梅格，起舞吧。旋轉吧，梅格，旋轉吧。啊，爐中幸福之火暖洋洋，胸懷美好的夢想。白色絹織的盛裝，穿上多麽漂亮，跳起了華爾茲。起舞吧，梅格，起舞吧。旋轉吧，梅格，梅格，梅格。
Plot introduction
Alcott's original work explores the overcoming of character flaws. Many of the chapter titles in this first part are allusions to the allegorical concepts and places in Pilgrim's Progress. When young, the girls played Pilgrim's Progress by taking an imaginary journey through their home. As young women, they agree to continue the figurative journey, using the "guidebooks" — copies of the New Testament, described as "that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived"; they receive on Christmas morning. Each of the March girls must struggle to overcome a character flaw: Meg, vanity; Jo, a hot temper; Beth, shyness; and Amy, selfishness.
In the course of the novel, the girls become friends with their next-door neighbor, the teenage boy Laurie. The book depicts the light hearted, often humorous activities of the sisters and their friend, such as creating a newspaper and picnicking, and the various "scrapes" that Jo and Laurie get into. Jo consistently struggles with the boundaries 19th century society placed on females, including not being able to fight in a war, not being able to attend college, and being pressured by her Aunt March to find a suitable husband to take care of her.
Characters
Josephine "Jo" March: The protagonist of the novel, Jo is an autobiographical depiction of Louisa May Alcott herself. A tomboy, Jo is the second daughter, aged fifteen at the beginning of the story. She is outspoken and has a passion for writing. Her nature often gets her into trouble, while her heart often pushes her into acts of kindness. She is close to her younger sister, Beth, a quiet and compassionate, character who offsets Jo's more outgoing nature. At the beginning of the book, Jo is employed as a companion by her Aunt March, a job she dislikes. When Beth comes down with scarlet fever, Amy replaces Jo as Aunt March's companion. Jo cuts off her long, chestnut brown hair—"her one beauty", as Amy calls it — and sells it to a wig shop to earn travel money for her mother to visit their father, a Civil War chaplain who is dangerously ill. Jo receives a marriage proposal from her childhood friend and neighbor Laurie, but she refuses him. Later, Jo moves to New York, where she meets Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer, whom she later marries. Regarding Jo's marriage, Alcott later wrote, "Jo should have remained a literary spinster, but so many enthusiastic young ladies wrote to me clamorously demanding that she should marry Laurie, or somebody, that I didn't dare refuse and out of perversity went and made a funny match for her". In the 1994 film directed by the Australian film director Gillian Armstrong, Jo was portrayed by Winona Ryder.
Margaret "Meg" March: At sixteen, she is the oldest sister. She is considered the beauty of the March household and she is well-mannered. Meg runs the household when her mother is absent. Meg also guards Amy from Jo when the two quarrel, just as Jo protects Beth. Meg is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family. Because of the genteel social standing of her family, Meg is allowed into society. However, after a few disappointing experiences (first, the Kings' eldest son is disinherited for bad behavior, and later she visits her friend Annie Moffat and discovers that her family believes Mrs. March is plotting to match her with Laurie only to gain his family's wealth), Meg learns that true worth does not lie with money. She falls in love with Mr. John Brooke, Laurie's tutor, whom she marries. Meg bears twin children, Margaret "Daisy" and John Laurence "Demi" (short for Demi-John). In the 1994 film, Meg was portrayed by Trini Alvarado.
Elizabeth "Beth" March: Thirteen years old when the novel opens, Beth is a quiet, kind young woman, and a pianist. She enjoys her dolls and cats. Docile and shy, she prefers to be homeschooled and avoids most public situations. At the beginning of the book, Alcott describes her as a sweet girl with a round young face and brown hair. She has a close relationship with Jo, despite their different personalities. Beth enjoys charity work, and helps her mother nurture poor families at the beginning of the novel. Later, when her mother is in Washington caring for their father, Beth comes down with scarlet fever, caught while looking after a family with sick children. Although Jo and Meg do their best to nurse her, Beth becomes so dangerously ill that they send for their mother to return home. However, before Mrs. March arrives, Beth's fever breaks. Beth recovers but she is left permanently weakened by the illness. In the second part of the book, as her sisters begin to leave the nest, Beth wonders what will become of her, as all she wants is to remain at home with her parents. When Beth contracts tuberculosis, the family nurses her. In her final illness, she overcomes her quietness when she discusses the spiritual significance of her death to Jo. Some critics have suggested that Beth's death signals Alcott's denial of the ability of the traditional, sentimental heroine to survive in an increasingly industrial world. In the 1994 film, Beth was portrayed by Claire Danes and in the 1978 television movie by Eve Plumb.
Amy Curtis March: The youngest sister—age twelve when the story begins—Amy is interested in art. She is described by the author as a 'regular snow-maiden' with curly golden hair and blue eyes, 'pale and slender' and 'always carrying herself' like a very proper young lady. She is dissatisfied with the shape of her nose which she attempts to fix with a clothespin. She is "cool, reserved and worldly" which sometimes causes her trouble. Often "petted" because she is the youngest, she can behave in a vain and spoiled way, and throws tantrums when she is unhappy. Her relationship with Jo is sometimes strained; the literary Jo particularly dislikes when Amy uses big words, mispronouncing them or using them incorrectly. Their most significant argument occurs when Jo will not allow Amy to accompany Jo and Laurie to the theater. In revenge, Amy finds Jo's unfinished novel and throws it all in the fireplace grate, burning years of work. When Jo discovers this, she boxes Amy's ears and tells her, "I'll never forgive you! Never!" Amy's attempt to apologize to Jo are unsuccessful. When Laurie and Jo go skating, Amy tags along after them, but she arrives at the lake too late to hear Laurie's warning about rotten ice. Under Jo's horrified stare, Amy falls through the ice, and is rescued by Laurie's prompt intervention. Realizing she might have lost her sister, Jo's anger dissolves and the two become more close. When Beth is ill with scarlet fever, Amy is sent to stay with Aunt March as a safety precaution. Aunt March grows fond of her, as Amy's natural grace and docility are more to her taste. Amy is invited to accompany Uncle and Aunt Carrol and cousin Flo's as a companion on a European trip. Although she enjoys travelling, after seeing the works of artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, Amy gives up her art, because she believes herself to be lacking in talent. In Europe, Amy meets up with Laurie, and shortly after Beth dies, they marry. Later, Amy gives birth to daughter Elizabeth (Beth). Amy was portrayed by Kirsten Dunst as a young girl and Samantha Mathis as an adult.
Margaret "Marmee" March: The girls' mother and head of household while her husband is away at war. She engages in charitable works and attempts to guide her girls' morals and to shape their characters, usually through experiments. She confesses to Jo (after the argument with Amy) that her temper is as volatile as Jo's own, but that she has learned to control it. In the 1994 film, Marmee was portrayed by Susan Sarandon.
Robin "Father" March: Formerly wealthy, it is implied that he helped friends who could not repay a debt, resulting in the family's poverty. A scholar and a minister, he serves as a chaplain for the Union Army.
Hannah Mullet: The March family maid.
Aunt Josephine March: Mr. March's aunt, a rich widow. Somewhat temperamental and prone to being judgmental, she disapproves of the family's poverty, their charitable work, and their general disregard for the more superficial aspects of society's ways. Her vociferous disapproval of Meg's impending engagement to the impoverished Mr. Brooke becomes the proverbial 'last straw', convincing Meg to affiance herself with the young man.
Uncle and Aunt Carrol: Sister and brother-in-law of Mr. March.
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence: A rich young man who is a neighbor to the March family. Laurie lives with his overprotective grandfather, Mr. Laurence. Laurie's father eloped with an Italian pianist and was disowned. Both died young, and as an orphan, Laurie was sent to live with his grandfather. Laurie is preparing to enter at Harvard and is being tutored by Mr. John Brooke. He is described as attractive and charming, with black eyes, brown skin, curly black hair, and small hands and feet. In the second book, Laurie falls in love with Jo and offers to marry her. She refuses, and flees to New York City. Laurie will eventually marry Amy March.
Mr. James Laurence: A wealthy neighbor to the Marches and Laurie's grandfather. Lonely in his mansion, and often at odds with his high-spirited grandson, he finds comfort in becoming a benefactor to the Marches. He protects the March sisters while their parents are away. He was a friend to Mrs March's father, and admires their charitable works. He develops a special, tender friendship with Beth, who reminds him of his dead granddaughter, and he gives Beth his daughter's piano.
John Brooke: During his employment with the Laurences as a tutor to Laurie, he falls in love with Meg. When Laurie leaves for college, Brooks continues his employment with Mr. Laurence as an assistant. He accompanies Mrs. March to Washington D.C. when her husband is ill. When Aunt March overhears Meg rejecting John's declaration of love, she threatens Meg with disinheritance on the basis that Brooke is only interested in Meg's future prospects. Eventually Meg admits her feelings to Brooke, they defy Aunt March (who ends up accepting the marriage), and they are engaged. Brooke serves in the Union Army for a year and invalided home after being wounded. Brooke marries Meg a few years later when the war has ended and she has turned twenty.
The Hummels: A poor German family consisting of a widowed mother and seven children. Marmee and the girls help them by bringing food, firewood, blankets and other comforts. Three of the children die of scarlet fever and Beth contracts it while caring for them.
The Kings: A wealthy family who employs Meg as a governess.
The Gardiners: Wealthy friends of Meg's. The Gardiners are portrayed as goodhearted but vapid.
Mrs. Kirke: A friend of Mrs March's who runs a boarding house in New York. She employs Jo as governess to her two girls.
Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer: A poor German immigrant who was a professor in Berlin but now lives in Mrs. Kirke's boarding house and tutors her children. He and Jo become friendly and he critiques Jo's writing, encouraging her to become a serious writer instead of writing "sensation" stories for weekly tabloids. The two eventually marry, raise Fritz's two orphaned nephews, Franz and Emil, and their own sons, Robin and Teddy.
Franz and Emil: Mr. Bhaer's two nephews whom he looks after following the death of his sister.
Tina: The small daughter of Mrs. Kirke's French washerwoman: she is a favorite of Professor Bhaer's.
Miss Norton: A worldly tenant living in Mrs. Kirke's boarding house. She occasionally takes Jo under her wing and entertains her.
Autobiographical context
Although plot elements from Little Women are similar to of Louisa May Alcott experiences, some differences exist:
* Unlike Jo, Alcott did not marry. However, there has been speculation that Ralph W. Emerson was the inspiration for Friedrich's character. Alcott was employed as governess to Emerson's children's, and Emerson and Louisa May Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott, were colleagues in the movement known as American transcendentalism.
* Unlike Jo's father, who served as a chaplain in the Union Army, Alcott's father was a pacifist. It was she herself who served as a nurse for wounded soldiers.
Critical response
G. K. Chesterton noted that in Little Women, Alcott "anticipated realism by twenty or thirty years," and that Fritz's proposal to Jo, and her acceptance, "is one of the really human things in human literature."
Notable adaptations
Play
A Little Women play, adapted by Marian De Forest, opened on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre, on October 14, 1912. The production was directed by Jessie Bonstelle and Bertram Harrison. The cast included Marie Pavey, Alice Brady, Gladys Hulette and Beverly West. It ran for 184 performances and was later revived on December 18, 1916 at the Park Theatre for 24 performances. The company was invited to produce the play in London starring Katharine Cornell. Another revival opened on December 7, 1931 at the Playhouse Theatre in a production directed by William A. Brady, Jr. with Jessie Royce Landis as Jo, Lee Patrick as Meg, Marie Curtis, and Jane Corcoran running for 17 performances.
A three-act, one set adaptation was written by John David Ravold, and is frequently performed. It was originally copyrighted in 1934.
In 1995, an adaptation entitled "Louisa's Little Women" by Beth Lynch and Scott Lynch-Giddings premiered in a production by the Wisdom Bridge Theatre Company at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. The play covers the events of Part One of Alcott's novel, interspersed with scenes depicting complementary aspects of her own life, including the influence of her father Bronson Alcott and her acquaintance with Henry David Thoreau, Julia Ward Howe, and Frank Leslie.
An adaptation by Emma Reeves was performed at GSA in Guildford, Surrey, England, and made its American debut at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, north of Seattle, Washington.
Literature
In 2005, Geraldine Brooks published March, a novel exploring the gaps in Little Women, telling the story of Mr. March during the Civil War. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Film
Little Women has seen several cinematic adaptations. One of the first film adaptations was the 1918 Harley Knoles-directed version, starring Dorothy Bernard, Kate Lester and Conrad Nagel. The 1933 version starred Katharine Hepburn as Jo and Spring Byington as Marmee. The film was followed by a 1949 version featuring Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, June Allyson as Jo, Janet Leigh as Meg, Margaret O'Brien as Beth, Mary Astor as Marmee, Peter Lawford as Laurie, and C. Aubrey Smith as the elderly Mr. Lawrence. A 1978 version starred Meredith Baxter as Meg, Susan Dey as Jo, Eve Plumb as Beth, William Shatner as Friedrich Bhaer, Greer Garson as Aunt March, and Robert Young as Grandpa James Lawrence. A 1994 version starred Susan Sarandon as Marmee, Winona Ryder as Jo, Kirsten Dunst as the younger Amy, Samantha Mathis as the older Amy, Christian Bale as Laurie, Claire Danes as Beth and Trini Alvarado as Meg. Other film versions of the novel appeared in 1917, 1918, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1979, and 2001.
Opera and musical
In 1998 composer Mark Adamo adapted the story as the Little Women (opera). On January 23, 2005, a Broadway musical adaptation of Little Women (musical) opened at the Virginia Theatre in New York City with a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. The musical starred Sutton Foster as Jo, and pop singer Maureen McGovern as Marmee. The mixed-reviewed production ran through May 2005, garnering a Tony nomination for Sutton. While it had a short life in New York, it ran for 49 weeks as a national tour. A second national tour was planned for the 2007–2008 season. The musical's UK premiere was performed by "Imagine Productions" at the Lowther Pavilion in December 2006.
Anime
Little Women, a popular novel in Japan, has been adapted into at least four anime versions, and referenced in several others. The first anime adaptation of Little Women was an episode of the TV series Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi ("Manga World's Classic Tales"), aired in October 1977. In 1980, director Yugo Serikawa (Mazinger Z) adapted the novel into a Toei Animation TV special titled Wakakusa Monogatari (The Story of Young Grass). The success of Serikawa's TV special was parlayed into Wakakusa no Yon Shimai ("Four Sisters of Young Grass"), a 26-episode TV series directed by Kazuya Miyazaki for the Kokusai Eigasha studio which aired on Fuji TV in 1981.
The most well-known anime version of the story is Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari (The Story of Love's Young Grass), a 1987 TV series that was part of Nippon Animation and Fuji TV's World Masterpiece Theater, which featured character designed and drawn by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. This series also featured several episodes of original stories from screenwriter Akira Miyazaki, developed by the author in order to acquaint the Japanese viewing audience with the characters of Little Women, as well as the historycal background of the American Civil War. Nippon Animation also adapted the sequel Little Men into a World Masterpiece Theater TV series, Wakakusa Monogatari Nan to Jou Sensei ("The Story of Young Grass: Nan and Teacher Jo"), in 1993.
The 1980 TV special and the 1981 and 1987 TV series were all released, at least in part, in the United States in English-dubbed form during the 1980s (with the Nippon Animation series broadcast by HBO in the late 1980s under the title Tales of Little Women), and both TV series were broadcast widely in Europe and Latin America as well.
References to the story
A number of other anime and manga series include references to Little Women, including Graduation M where the main characters (who are male), are forced to play the lead roles in the play "Little Women," for their school ceremony; Glass no Kamen, in which a production of Little Women where protagonist, Maya plays the role of Beth is an important story arc; and Burst Angel, in which three of the main characters are named Jo, Meg (short for Megumi), and Amy.
A nod to the characters is apparent in the English release of the Nintendo 64 game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In the Forest Temple, the player must solve four puzzles hosted by ghosts by the names of Amy, Beth, Joelle and Meg to progress through the game. The ghosts appear again briefly in the game's sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but only in an optional mini game. In this game, the name "Joelle" was corrected to "Jo," since Jo's full name is Josephine and not Joelle.
A Korean artist and writer, Kim Hee Eun, created a manhwa called Dear My Girls. The manhwa had the characters Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg. The story is based on ideas from Little Women. The manhwa is serialized in a Korean magazine, mink.
《小婦人》-作者簡介
路易莎•奧爾科特（LouisaMayAlcott，1832－1888），美國作傢。1832年11月 29日出生在賓夕法尼亞州的傑曼鎮（Germantown）。她的父親布郎遜•奧爾科特是馬薩諸塞州康科德一位自學成纔的哲學家、學校改革傢和烏托邦主義者。他一生沉迷於對理想的追求，以至無力擔負家庭生活。維持生計的擔子先是落到他的妻子身上，而後又落到他那富有進取精神的二女兒路易莎•奧爾科特身上，路易莎到學校教過書，當過女裁縫、護士，做過洗熨活，15歲時還出去做過傭人。
路易莎10歲時便已熱心於業餘戲劇演出，15歲時寫出第一部情節劇，21歲開始發表詩歌及小品。
1868 年，一位出版商建議她寫一部關於“女孩子的書”，她便根據孩提的記憶寫成《小婦人》。書中把自己描寫成喬•馬奇，她的姐妹安娜、亞碧、伊麗莎白便分別成為梅格、艾美、貝思。書中的許多故事取材於現實生活，不過現實生活中的奧爾科特一傢經濟狀況遠不如她筆下的馬奇一傢。出於作者意料的是《小婦人》打動了無數美國讀者，尤其是女性讀者的心弦。之後，路易莎又續寫了《小男人》和《喬的男孩子們》，1873年又以小說形式出版了自傳著作《經驗的故事》。
路易莎成名後，繼續撰寫小說和故事，並投身於婦女選舉運動和禁酒運動。美國內戰期間她在華盛頓做過軍隊救護人員，後來，她還擔任過一傢兒童刊物（RobertMerry'sMuseum）的編輯。她於1888年3月 6日在波士頓去世。
《小婦人》-內容分析
馬奇一傢有四個姐妹，生活清貧、簡單而又溫馨。四組妹性格迥異；老大梅格漂亮端莊，有些愛慕虛榮；老二喬自由獨立，渴望成為作傢，老三貝絲善良羞澀，熱愛音樂，老四埃米聰慧活潑，愛好藝術，希望成為一名上流社會的 “淑女”。
所有時代的所有少女成長過程中所要面對的經歷的，都可以在這本書中找到：初戀的甜蜜和煩惱，感情與理智的選譯，理想和現實的差距，貧窮與富有的矛盾。
《小婦人》故事情節簡單真實，卻感人至深，問世一百多年以來，多次被般上銀幕，並被譯成各種文字，成為世界文學寶庫中的經典名作。書中描寫的種種情感體驗和生活經歷，都曾經、正在並將要發生在每一個少女走嚮成熟的過程之中；書中提倡善良、忠誠、無私、慷慨、尊嚴、寬容、堅韌、勇敢、亦是人類永遠尊崇和追求的美德和信低仰。所有這些，賦予這本書超趙時代和國度的生命力，這也正是她成為不朽的典的魅力和原因所在。
《小婦人》-演員介紹
《小婦人》薇諾娜•瑞德
薇諾娜•瑞德1971年10月出生於明尼蘇達州，父母是60年代的嬉皮士——熱愛自由，反對主流文化。他們以一座明尼蘇達州的小鎮的名字作為女兒的名字。薇諾娜從小受到家庭的溺愛，生活十分美滿幸福。在是作傢的父親的影響下，她從小就酷愛看書，掌握了大量知識。而幼年時對經典電影的迷戀，使她下决心要當一名演員。上高中後，她加入了學校的劇團，活躍在戲劇舞臺上。她具有極好的表演天賦，又十分肯虛心鑽研學習，高中畢業後，就與經紀人簽約拍電影。
在好萊塢衆多女星中，要在不同時期獲得偉大導演的賞識實屬不易，但薇諾娜卻可以獲得不同領域導演的一致贊賞，不管是喜劇、科幻、恐怖、或是使壞，薇諾娜瑞德都在用盡全力，努力的扮演一個女演員的角色。1988年《甲殼蟲汁》一片使觀衆註意到這個有着一雙慧黠大眼的女星。在演過多部少女片後，1991年接演吉姆•賈木許的《地球之夜》正式邁入成熟角色，而次年大導演柯波拉的《驚情四百年》更將她推上票房明星的地位，自此成為好萊塢新一代的接班女星之一。
《小婦人》-幕後製作
露易莎•梅•阿爾考特的經典自傳體小說，強調個人尊嚴和自立自律的重要，富有強烈的感染力，屬於女性題材的保留劇目。這個版本編劇、表演、攝影均取得不俗的成績，可與1933年版媲美。1933年的黑白版由喬治•科剋導演、凱瑟琳•赫本主演，乃該劇的經典版；1949年的彩色版陣容更豪華，包括伊麗莎白•泰勒等，但總體成績稍遜一籌；1978年的電視版最弱。
《小婦人》-影片評價
《小婦人》是莎士比亞之後被改編成電影的次數最多的小說之一，露伊斯•梅•阿爾科特的小說提供了非常有趣的情節，它以馬奇姐妹的生活麗成為綫索，隨着她們的成長和變化，處理永恆的愛與死的問題。除了故事本身在場景設置在十九世紀六十年代而引人註目，人物及其相互關係——父與子，朋友與愛人——都屬於永不過時的主題。這些都成了這部小說不斷地被改編成電影的永遠的驅動力。相對於其他版本的電影，三十年代好萊塢高峰期的這一部也算得上極為優秀的一部，它以對小說原著的忠實而取勝，而凱瑟琳•赫本扮演的喬•馬奇也楚楚動人，深入人心。
沒有激動人心的章回，也沒有跌宕起伏的情節，她如一條淙淙流淌的小溪，交織着對愛的忠誠、對親情的渴望，讓人感覺仿佛像在寒冷凜冽的鼕季，坐在溫暖的火爐邊，讀一本讓人感動得落淚的小說或喝着一杯濃香四溢的咖啡，泛着微微的漣漪，《小婦人》給我的更多的是一種溫馨。
梅格，一個有着花一樣容貌的女孩，大大的眼睛，甜甜的笑容，一頭棕色秀發又濃又厚，她雖然有點愛慕虛榮，但她為了愛情而甘於貧睏，放棄了馬奇嬸嬸的遺産，嫁給了清貧的布魯剋先生，過着苦中帶甜的幸福生活。她放棄了享受榮華富貴的夢想，卻換來了自己一生的幸福。她在家庭的磨難中體會到了一傢人的和睦、互愛纔是最珍貴的財富，所以她選擇了令她一生富有的愛情。梅格，花一般美麗，人美，心美。
貝思是一個典型的“小寧靜”，酷愛音樂，有着一雙明亮的眼睛，紅潤的膚色，潤澤的秀發，她處處為別人着想，默默地為別人付出自己的關愛當面對死亡的時候，當整整一天都是大雪紛飛、狂風怒吼的時候，她蒼白而平靜的臉上沒有所謂的怨天尤人，她總是充滿希望地說：“很快都會好起來的。”她的病痛使周圍的人無限的悲痛。如果一個人不願意付出，那麽他也永遠不會得到回報。尤其在睏難之際，關心與真情尤為重要，是一個人不可或缺的生命之柱。而這些都需要我們平日做到真誠與關愛。
艾米，我覺得她是一個很具藝術感的女孩，熱愛繪畫，對事物有着自己的審美，似乎是姐妹中最有靈氣的，但有強的虛榮心，但是她既善良，又堅強，一直以扶貧濟睏為己任，在國外的幾年，讓她更加成熟，也因為勞裏，她明白了“有了金錢但卻不懂得自尊自重是並不能得到幸福的”，她也逐漸成長為一個惹人喜愛的小婦人。
《小婦人》-花絮
剋裏斯蒂娜•裏奇曾為小艾米一角試鏡，但是剋裏斯滕•鄧斯特得到了這個角色。娜塔麗•波特曼也曾來試鏡。拍攝中，剋萊爾•丹尼斯拿着蠟燭上樓時頭髮被燒着了。•影片結尾寫着獻給兩個人，一個是被綁架的12歲加州女孩PollyKlaas，後來發現時已經被殺。另一個是薇諾娜•瑞德，她跟這個女孩都來自Petaluma，她為女孩的搜救行動奔走疾呼，付出了很多努力。布景設計師拷貝了小說作者路易莎•梅•愛爾考特在馬薩諸塞州康科德(Concord)的傢。愛爾考特是在傢中完成的小說創作，並把事件發生的場景想象成傢裏。片中艾米給姑媽所讀的聖經是《利未記》基督教聖經《舊約全書》中的一捲)第22章的內容。
《小婦人》-書摘
喬和梅格坐在一起做針綫時，發現姐姐有了很大的進步。她能得體地談話，知道許多有關良傢婦女的衝動、想法以及感情。她從丈夫和孩子們身上得到了很大的幸福，他們都為對方盡着力。
“婚姻畢竟是一件極好的事情。要是我試試，不知結局會不會有你一半好？”喬說。她在弄得亂七八糟的育兒室裏為德米製作一個風箏。
“你所需要的正是露出你性格中女子溫柔的那一半，喬。你就像一個帶殼的慄子，外面多刺，內裏卻光滑柔軟。要是有人能接近，還有個甜果仁。將來有一天，愛情會使你表露心跡的，那時你的殼便脫落了。”“夫人，嚴霜會凍開慄殼，使勁搖會搖下慄子。男孩子們好采慄子。可是，我不喜歡讓他們用口袋裝着，”喬答道。她在繼續粘着風箏。這個風箏無論颳什麽風都上不了天，因為黛西把自己當作風箏尾巴係在了上面。
梅格笑了。她高興地看到了一點喬的老脾氣。但是她覺得，用她所能想到的全部論據來堅持她的觀點，這是她的責任。姐妹倆的談話沒有白費，特別是因為梅格兩個最有說服力的論據是孩子們，喬溫柔地愛着他們。喬幾乎做好準備被裝進口袋了：還需要照些陽光，使慄子成熟。然後，不是被男孩焦躁地搖落，而是一個男人的手伸上去，輕輕地剝開殼，就會發現果仁成熟甜美。假使她曾懷疑到這一點，她會緊緊封閉起來的，會比以前更刺人，所幸的是她沒有想到自己。所以時間一到，她這個慄子便掉落下來了。
要說喬是道德故事書中的女主人公的話，那麽，在她生活的這一時起，她應該變得十分聖潔，應該退隱，應該口袋裏裝着宗教傳單，戴着清心寡欲的帽子，四處去做善事。可是，要知道，喬不是一個女主人公。像成百上千的其他姑娘一樣她衹是個掙紮着的凡人。所以，她依着性子行事。她悲哀、焦躁、不安，或者精神飽滿，隨心境而定。我們要做好人，這樣說非常有道德，可是我們不可能立馬就做得到。需要有人長期的引導、有力的引導，還要大傢同心協力去幫助，我們中有些人甚至才能正確起步。到目前為止，喬起步不錯。
她學着盡自己的責任，盡不到責便會感到不快樂。可是心甘情願地去做--哦，這是另一碼事了！她常說要做些出色的事，不管那有多難。現在她實現了願望。因為，一生奉獻給爸爸媽媽，努力使他們感到家庭幸福，就像他們讓她感到的那樣，有什麽比這件事更美好的呢？這樣一個焦躁不安、雄心勃勃的姑娘，放棄了自己的希望、計劃和意願，無怨無悔地為別人活着。假如需要用睏難來增加努力的美妙之處的話，還有什麽比這更難做到的呢？
上帝相信了她的話；使命就在這裏，並不是她所期待的，但是更好，因為她自己和它沒有關係。那麽，她能完成任務嗎？她决定一試。在最初的嘗試中，她找到了我提出的那些幫助。還有別的幫助給她，她也接受了，不是作為奬賞，而是作為安慰，就像基督徒跋涉睏難之山，在小樹下歇息時，小樹使他提神一樣。
“你為什麽不寫點東西呢？以前那總會使你快樂的，”一次，媽媽見喬又來了陣消沉情緒，臉色陰沉，便這樣說道。
“我沒有心思寫。即使寫了，也沒人喜歡讀。”“我們喜歡。為我們寫點東西吧。千萬別在乎別的人。親愛的，試試吧。我肯定那會對你有好處，而且使我們非常高興。”
“我不相信我能寫了。”然而，喬搬出了她的桌子，開始翻查她寫了一半的一些手稿。
一小時以後，媽媽朝屋裏瞥了一眼，喬就坐在那裏。她圍着黑圍裙，全神貫註，不停地塗寫着。馬奇太太為她的建議奏效感到高興，她笑着悄悄走開了。喬一點也不知道這是怎麽發生的。某種東西夾進了故事，打動了讀者。當她的傢人讀着故事又哭又笑時，爸爸將它寄給了一傢通俗雜志，這是完全違反她的意願的。使她大吃一驚的是，雜志社不僅付了她稿酬，而且還要求她再寫些故事。這個小故事登出來後，她收到了一些人的來信，這些人的贊揚是種榮譽。報紙也轉載了這個故事。朋友們及陌生的人們都贊賞它。對這樣的一個小東西來說，這是巨大的成功。以前喬的小說同時遭人褒貶，現在她比那時更為感到驚訝。
“我不懂，像那麽一個小姑娘，能有什麽讓人們這樣誇贊的？”她十分睏惑地說。
“故事裏有真實的東西，喬，這就是秘密。幽默與悲哀使故事生動。你終於找到了自己的風格。你沒有想着名譽和金錢，而是在用心寫作，我的女兒。你嘗過了痛苦，現在有了甜蜜。你要盡力去做，像我們一樣，為你的成功快樂起來吧。“假如我寫的東西裏當真有什麽好的、真實的東西，那不是我的功勞。這一切都得歸於您和媽媽，還有貝思，”喬說。爸爸的話比外界的任何贊揚都更使她感動。
《小婦人》-穿幫鏡頭
當勞利看艾米畫畫時他扔了2次他的香煙。艾米去學校時撿了2次掉在地上的小黑板。喬和弗雷德裏奇在劇院觀看《PearlFishers》，而這部1863年在巴黎公演的劇直到1892年纔登陸美國，早已過了電影中故事發生的時間。當喬給勞利寫信時，結尾處她讓他“回到我們身邊”，但是對信的特寫鏡頭顯示的字是“回到我身邊”。當喬在街上遇到弗雷德裏奇時，裙邊被街上的泥濘弄髒了，但是到了屋子裏裙子又變幹淨了。
《小婦人》-同名動畫片
基本資料
日本動畫片《小婦人》
原 片 名：若草物語より若草の四姉妹
出品年代：1981年
出品公司：國際映畫社
國別歸屬：日本
劇集總數：26集
劇情簡介
以南北戰爭時期美國北部的堅毅家庭為舞臺。一邊期待着上戰場打仗的父親可以快點回來，個性豐厚的四姊妹追逐著各自的夢想而成長著。
歌麯
片頭麯
藍天裏多美妙，白雲裊裊，我追求光，追求明天幸福的理想。吹起那歡快的口哨，沃野萬頃，小草青青。你看，你看，我找到了幸福。你看，你看，我找到了幸福。我願和你分享，也和她啊……我們大傢，得到了，得到了幸福。我願和你分享，也和她啊……我們大傢得到了，得到了幸福。
片尾麯
起舞吧，梅格，起舞吧。旋轉吧，梅格，旋轉吧。啊，爐中幸福之火暖洋洋，胸懷美好的夢想。白色絹織的盛裝，穿上多麽漂亮，跳起了華爾茲。起舞吧，梅格，起舞吧。旋轉吧，梅格，梅格，梅格。
Plot introduction
Alcott's original work explores the overcoming of character flaws. Many of the chapter titles in this first part are allusions to the allegorical concepts and places in Pilgrim's Progress. When young, the girls played Pilgrim's Progress by taking an imaginary journey through their home. As young women, they agree to continue the figurative journey, using the "guidebooks" — copies of the New Testament, described as "that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived"; they receive on Christmas morning. Each of the March girls must struggle to overcome a character flaw: Meg, vanity; Jo, a hot temper; Beth, shyness; and Amy, selfishness.
In the course of the novel, the girls become friends with their next-door neighbor, the teenage boy Laurie. The book depicts the light hearted, often humorous activities of the sisters and their friend, such as creating a newspaper and picnicking, and the various "scrapes" that Jo and Laurie get into. Jo consistently struggles with the boundaries 19th century society placed on females, including not being able to fight in a war, not being able to attend college, and being pressured by her Aunt March to find a suitable husband to take care of her.
Characters
Josephine "Jo" March: The protagonist of the novel, Jo is an autobiographical depiction of Louisa May Alcott herself. A tomboy, Jo is the second daughter, aged fifteen at the beginning of the story. She is outspoken and has a passion for writing. Her nature often gets her into trouble, while her heart often pushes her into acts of kindness. She is close to her younger sister, Beth, a quiet and compassionate, character who offsets Jo's more outgoing nature. At the beginning of the book, Jo is employed as a companion by her Aunt March, a job she dislikes. When Beth comes down with scarlet fever, Amy replaces Jo as Aunt March's companion. Jo cuts off her long, chestnut brown hair—"her one beauty", as Amy calls it — and sells it to a wig shop to earn travel money for her mother to visit their father, a Civil War chaplain who is dangerously ill. Jo receives a marriage proposal from her childhood friend and neighbor Laurie, but she refuses him. Later, Jo moves to New York, where she meets Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer, whom she later marries. Regarding Jo's marriage, Alcott later wrote, "Jo should have remained a literary spinster, but so many enthusiastic young ladies wrote to me clamorously demanding that she should marry Laurie, or somebody, that I didn't dare refuse and out of perversity went and made a funny match for her". In the 1994 film directed by the Australian film director Gillian Armstrong, Jo was portrayed by Winona Ryder.
Margaret "Meg" March: At sixteen, she is the oldest sister. She is considered the beauty of the March household and she is well-mannered. Meg runs the household when her mother is absent. Meg also guards Amy from Jo when the two quarrel, just as Jo protects Beth. Meg is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family. Because of the genteel social standing of her family, Meg is allowed into society. However, after a few disappointing experiences (first, the Kings' eldest son is disinherited for bad behavior, and later she visits her friend Annie Moffat and discovers that her family believes Mrs. March is plotting to match her with Laurie only to gain his family's wealth), Meg learns that true worth does not lie with money. She falls in love with Mr. John Brooke, Laurie's tutor, whom she marries. Meg bears twin children, Margaret "Daisy" and John Laurence "Demi" (short for Demi-John). In the 1994 film, Meg was portrayed by Trini Alvarado.
Elizabeth "Beth" March: Thirteen years old when the novel opens, Beth is a quiet, kind young woman, and a pianist. She enjoys her dolls and cats. Docile and shy, she prefers to be homeschooled and avoids most public situations. At the beginning of the book, Alcott describes her as a sweet girl with a round young face and brown hair. She has a close relationship with Jo, despite their different personalities. Beth enjoys charity work, and helps her mother nurture poor families at the beginning of the novel. Later, when her mother is in Washington caring for their father, Beth comes down with scarlet fever, caught while looking after a family with sick children. Although Jo and Meg do their best to nurse her, Beth becomes so dangerously ill that they send for their mother to return home. However, before Mrs. March arrives, Beth's fever breaks. Beth recovers but she is left permanently weakened by the illness. In the second part of the book, as her sisters begin to leave the nest, Beth wonders what will become of her, as all she wants is to remain at home with her parents. When Beth contracts tuberculosis, the family nurses her. In her final illness, she overcomes her quietness when she discusses the spiritual significance of her death to Jo. Some critics have suggested that Beth's death signals Alcott's denial of the ability of the traditional, sentimental heroine to survive in an increasingly industrial world. In the 1994 film, Beth was portrayed by Claire Danes and in the 1978 television movie by Eve Plumb.
Amy Curtis March: The youngest sister—age twelve when the story begins—Amy is interested in art. She is described by the author as a 'regular snow-maiden' with curly golden hair and blue eyes, 'pale and slender' and 'always carrying herself' like a very proper young lady. She is dissatisfied with the shape of her nose which she attempts to fix with a clothespin. She is "cool, reserved and worldly" which sometimes causes her trouble. Often "petted" because she is the youngest, she can behave in a vain and spoiled way, and throws tantrums when she is unhappy. Her relationship with Jo is sometimes strained; the literary Jo particularly dislikes when Amy uses big words, mispronouncing them or using them incorrectly. Their most significant argument occurs when Jo will not allow Amy to accompany Jo and Laurie to the theater. In revenge, Amy finds Jo's unfinished novel and throws it all in the fireplace grate, burning years of work. When Jo discovers this, she boxes Amy's ears and tells her, "I'll never forgive you! Never!" Amy's attempt to apologize to Jo are unsuccessful. When Laurie and Jo go skating, Amy tags along after them, but she arrives at the lake too late to hear Laurie's warning about rotten ice. Under Jo's horrified stare, Amy falls through the ice, and is rescued by Laurie's prompt intervention. Realizing she might have lost her sister, Jo's anger dissolves and the two become more close. When Beth is ill with scarlet fever, Amy is sent to stay with Aunt March as a safety precaution. Aunt March grows fond of her, as Amy's natural grace and docility are more to her taste. Amy is invited to accompany Uncle and Aunt Carrol and cousin Flo's as a companion on a European trip. Although she enjoys travelling, after seeing the works of artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, Amy gives up her art, because she believes herself to be lacking in talent. In Europe, Amy meets up with Laurie, and shortly after Beth dies, they marry. Later, Amy gives birth to daughter Elizabeth (Beth). Amy was portrayed by Kirsten Dunst as a young girl and Samantha Mathis as an adult.
Margaret "Marmee" March: The girls' mother and head of household while her husband is away at war. She engages in charitable works and attempts to guide her girls' morals and to shape their characters, usually through experiments. She confesses to Jo (after the argument with Amy) that her temper is as volatile as Jo's own, but that she has learned to control it. In the 1994 film, Marmee was portrayed by Susan Sarandon.
Robin "Father" March: Formerly wealthy, it is implied that he helped friends who could not repay a debt, resulting in the family's poverty. A scholar and a minister, he serves as a chaplain for the Union Army.
Hannah Mullet: The March family maid.
Aunt Josephine March: Mr. March's aunt, a rich widow. Somewhat temperamental and prone to being judgmental, she disapproves of the family's poverty, their charitable work, and their general disregard for the more superficial aspects of society's ways. Her vociferous disapproval of Meg's impending engagement to the impoverished Mr. Brooke becomes the proverbial 'last straw', convincing Meg to affiance herself with the young man.
Uncle and Aunt Carrol: Sister and brother-in-law of Mr. March.
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence: A rich young man who is a neighbor to the March family. Laurie lives with his overprotective grandfather, Mr. Laurence. Laurie's father eloped with an Italian pianist and was disowned. Both died young, and as an orphan, Laurie was sent to live with his grandfather. Laurie is preparing to enter at Harvard and is being tutored by Mr. John Brooke. He is described as attractive and charming, with black eyes, brown skin, curly black hair, and small hands and feet. In the second book, Laurie falls in love with Jo and offers to marry her. She refuses, and flees to New York City. Laurie will eventually marry Amy March.
Mr. James Laurence: A wealthy neighbor to the Marches and Laurie's grandfather. Lonely in his mansion, and often at odds with his high-spirited grandson, he finds comfort in becoming a benefactor to the Marches. He protects the March sisters while their parents are away. He was a friend to Mrs March's father, and admires their charitable works. He develops a special, tender friendship with Beth, who reminds him of his dead granddaughter, and he gives Beth his daughter's piano.
John Brooke: During his employment with the Laurences as a tutor to Laurie, he falls in love with Meg. When Laurie leaves for college, Brooks continues his employment with Mr. Laurence as an assistant. He accompanies Mrs. March to Washington D.C. when her husband is ill. When Aunt March overhears Meg rejecting John's declaration of love, she threatens Meg with disinheritance on the basis that Brooke is only interested in Meg's future prospects. Eventually Meg admits her feelings to Brooke, they defy Aunt March (who ends up accepting the marriage), and they are engaged. Brooke serves in the Union Army for a year and invalided home after being wounded. Brooke marries Meg a few years later when the war has ended and she has turned twenty.
The Hummels: A poor German family consisting of a widowed mother and seven children. Marmee and the girls help them by bringing food, firewood, blankets and other comforts. Three of the children die of scarlet fever and Beth contracts it while caring for them.
The Kings: A wealthy family who employs Meg as a governess.
The Gardiners: Wealthy friends of Meg's. The Gardiners are portrayed as goodhearted but vapid.
Mrs. Kirke: A friend of Mrs March's who runs a boarding house in New York. She employs Jo as governess to her two girls.
Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer: A poor German immigrant who was a professor in Berlin but now lives in Mrs. Kirke's boarding house and tutors her children. He and Jo become friendly and he critiques Jo's writing, encouraging her to become a serious writer instead of writing "sensation" stories for weekly tabloids. The two eventually marry, raise Fritz's two orphaned nephews, Franz and Emil, and their own sons, Robin and Teddy.
Franz and Emil: Mr. Bhaer's two nephews whom he looks after following the death of his sister.
Tina: The small daughter of Mrs. Kirke's French washerwoman: she is a favorite of Professor Bhaer's.
Miss Norton: A worldly tenant living in Mrs. Kirke's boarding house. She occasionally takes Jo under her wing and entertains her.
Autobiographical context
Although plot elements from Little Women are similar to of Louisa May Alcott experiences, some differences exist:
* Unlike Jo, Alcott did not marry. However, there has been speculation that Ralph W. Emerson was the inspiration for Friedrich's character. Alcott was employed as governess to Emerson's children's, and Emerson and Louisa May Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott, were colleagues in the movement known as American transcendentalism.
* Unlike Jo's father, who served as a chaplain in the Union Army, Alcott's father was a pacifist. It was she herself who served as a nurse for wounded soldiers.
Critical response
G. K. Chesterton noted that in Little Women, Alcott "anticipated realism by twenty or thirty years," and that Fritz's proposal to Jo, and her acceptance, "is one of the really human things in human literature."
Notable adaptations
Play
A Little Women play, adapted by Marian De Forest, opened on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre, on October 14, 1912. The production was directed by Jessie Bonstelle and Bertram Harrison. The cast included Marie Pavey, Alice Brady, Gladys Hulette and Beverly West. It ran for 184 performances and was later revived on December 18, 1916 at the Park Theatre for 24 performances. The company was invited to produce the play in London starring Katharine Cornell. Another revival opened on December 7, 1931 at the Playhouse Theatre in a production directed by William A. Brady, Jr. with Jessie Royce Landis as Jo, Lee Patrick as Meg, Marie Curtis, and Jane Corcoran running for 17 performances.
A three-act, one set adaptation was written by John David Ravold, and is frequently performed. It was originally copyrighted in 1934.
In 1995, an adaptation entitled "Louisa's Little Women" by Beth Lynch and Scott Lynch-Giddings premiered in a production by the Wisdom Bridge Theatre Company at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. The play covers the events of Part One of Alcott's novel, interspersed with scenes depicting complementary aspects of her own life, including the influence of her father Bronson Alcott and her acquaintance with Henry David Thoreau, Julia Ward Howe, and Frank Leslie.
An adaptation by Emma Reeves was performed at GSA in Guildford, Surrey, England, and made its American debut at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, north of Seattle, Washington.
Literature
In 2005, Geraldine Brooks published March, a novel exploring the gaps in Little Women, telling the story of Mr. March during the Civil War. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Film
Little Women has seen several cinematic adaptations. One of the first film adaptations was the 1918 Harley Knoles-directed version, starring Dorothy Bernard, Kate Lester and Conrad Nagel. The 1933 version starred Katharine Hepburn as Jo and Spring Byington as Marmee. The film was followed by a 1949 version featuring Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, June Allyson as Jo, Janet Leigh as Meg, Margaret O'Brien as Beth, Mary Astor as Marmee, Peter Lawford as Laurie, and C. Aubrey Smith as the elderly Mr. Lawrence. A 1978 version starred Meredith Baxter as Meg, Susan Dey as Jo, Eve Plumb as Beth, William Shatner as Friedrich Bhaer, Greer Garson as Aunt March, and Robert Young as Grandpa James Lawrence. A 1994 version starred Susan Sarandon as Marmee, Winona Ryder as Jo, Kirsten Dunst as the younger Amy, Samantha Mathis as the older Amy, Christian Bale as Laurie, Claire Danes as Beth and Trini Alvarado as Meg. Other film versions of the novel appeared in 1917, 1918, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1979, and 2001.
Opera and musical
In 1998 composer Mark Adamo adapted the story as the Little Women (opera). On January 23, 2005, a Broadway musical adaptation of Little Women (musical) opened at the Virginia Theatre in New York City with a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. The musical starred Sutton Foster as Jo, and pop singer Maureen McGovern as Marmee. The mixed-reviewed production ran through May 2005, garnering a Tony nomination for Sutton. While it had a short life in New York, it ran for 49 weeks as a national tour. A second national tour was planned for the 2007–2008 season. The musical's UK premiere was performed by "Imagine Productions" at the Lowther Pavilion in December 2006.
Anime
Little Women, a popular novel in Japan, has been adapted into at least four anime versions, and referenced in several others. The first anime adaptation of Little Women was an episode of the TV series Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi ("Manga World's Classic Tales"), aired in October 1977. In 1980, director Yugo Serikawa (Mazinger Z) adapted the novel into a Toei Animation TV special titled Wakakusa Monogatari (The Story of Young Grass). The success of Serikawa's TV special was parlayed into Wakakusa no Yon Shimai ("Four Sisters of Young Grass"), a 26-episode TV series directed by Kazuya Miyazaki for the Kokusai Eigasha studio which aired on Fuji TV in 1981.
The most well-known anime version of the story is Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari (The Story of Love's Young Grass), a 1987 TV series that was part of Nippon Animation and Fuji TV's World Masterpiece Theater, which featured character designed and drawn by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. This series also featured several episodes of original stories from screenwriter Akira Miyazaki, developed by the author in order to acquaint the Japanese viewing audience with the characters of Little Women, as well as the historycal background of the American Civil War. Nippon Animation also adapted the sequel Little Men into a World Masterpiece Theater TV series, Wakakusa Monogatari Nan to Jou Sensei ("The Story of Young Grass: Nan and Teacher Jo"), in 1993.
The 1980 TV special and the 1981 and 1987 TV series were all released, at least in part, in the United States in English-dubbed form during the 1980s (with the Nippon Animation series broadcast by HBO in the late 1980s under the title Tales of Little Women), and both TV series were broadcast widely in Europe and Latin America as well.
References to the story
A number of other anime and manga series include references to Little Women, including Graduation M where the main characters (who are male), are forced to play the lead roles in the play "Little Women," for their school ceremony; Glass no Kamen, in which a production of Little Women where protagonist, Maya plays the role of Beth is an important story arc; and Burst Angel, in which three of the main characters are named Jo, Meg (short for Megumi), and Amy.
A nod to the characters is apparent in the English release of the Nintendo 64 game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In the Forest Temple, the player must solve four puzzles hosted by ghosts by the names of Amy, Beth, Joelle and Meg to progress through the game. The ghosts appear again briefly in the game's sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but only in an optional mini game. In this game, the name "Joelle" was corrected to "Jo," since Jo's full name is Josephine and not Joelle.
A Korean artist and writer, Kim Hee Eun, created a manhwa called Dear My Girls. The manhwa had the characters Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg. The story is based on ideas from Little Women. The manhwa is serialized in a Korean magazine, mink.
隨着翻譯介紹，路易莎·梅·奧爾科特這位在19世紀下半葉美國傢喻戶曉的女作傢名字開始為中國讀者所熟悉。在《小婦人》那部帶有自傳色彩作品中，我們看到奧爾科特那獨有的細膩的筆觸所煥發出來的迷人光芒，緊接着，她又寫出第二部《小男人》和第三部《喬的男孩們》，從而奠定了她在美國文學史中不可動搖的地位。她所描寫的童年時光，雖然帶着生活中本來就揮之不去的艱辛和憂傷，但是，它依然是美麗的，一如既往地喚醒着我們每一個人靈魂深處的記憶。
Plot Details
Little Men follows the life of Jo Bhaer and the students who live and learn at the Plumfield Estate School that she runs with her husband, Professor Bhaer. The mischievous children, whom she loves and cares for as her own, learn valuable lessons as they become proper gentlemen and ladies. We also get cameo appearances of almost all the characters found in the previous books, almost all of them happy and well. Meg's older two children, Demi and Daisy, also attend the school and so do Mr. Bhaer's German nephews Franz and Emil.
The story begins with the arrival of Nathaniel "Nat" Blake, a shy young orphan with a talent for playing the violin and a penchant for telling fibs. Through his eyes we are introduced to the majority of the characters, from the Bhaers' children to other classmates. We follow Nat's life from April through Thanksgiving, meeting new students and playing games and having adventures throughout. Each student has his or her own struggles: Nat lies; Demi, although adored by his mother and sister, is so naïve that he finds it hard to live in the real world, but swears that he will be like 'parpar' after John Brooke (Meg's husband) dies; Emil has a bad temper; Dan is rebellious and rude; Tommy is careless (and once sets the house afire); Annie alias Nan is too tomboyish; Daisy is too prim and even weak-willed etc. They all learn to cope with their faults as they grow into young men and women.
Plot Details
Little Men follows the life of Jo Bhaer and the students who live and learn at the Plumfield Estate School that she runs with her husband, Professor Bhaer. The mischievous children, whom she loves and cares for as her own, learn valuable lessons as they become proper gentlemen and ladies. We also get cameo appearances of almost all the characters found in the previous books, almost all of them happy and well. Meg's older two children, Demi and Daisy, also attend the school and so do Mr. Bhaer's German nephews Franz and Emil.
The story begins with the arrival of Nathaniel "Nat" Blake, a shy young orphan with a talent for playing the violin and a penchant for telling fibs. Through his eyes we are introduced to the majority of the characters, from the Bhaers' children to other classmates. We follow Nat's life from April through Thanksgiving, meeting new students and playing games and having adventures throughout. Each student has his or her own struggles: Nat lies; Demi, although adored by his mother and sister, is so naïve that he finds it hard to live in the real world, but swears that he will be like 'parpar' after John Brooke (Meg's husband) dies; Emil has a bad temper; Dan is rebellious and rude; Tommy is careless (and once sets the house afire); Annie alias Nan is too tomboyish; Daisy is too prim and even weak-willed etc. They all learn to cope with their faults as they grow into young men and women.
《小婦人》出版後，奧爾科特又寫作了《舊式女孩》（Old Fashioned Girl，1870）、《小男人》（Little Men，1871）、《工作》（Work，1873）及其他一些兒童作品，但其影響遠不如前者。
It was first serialised in the Merry's Museum magazine between July and August in 1869 and consisted of only six chapters. For the finished product, however, Alcott continued the story from the chapter "Six Years Afterwards" and so it ended up with nineteen chapters in all. The book turns around Polly Milton, the old-fashioned girl who titles the story. Polly visits her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw in the city and is overwhelmed by the fashionable and urban life they live––but also left out because of her "countrified" manners and outdated clothes.
The novel was the basis of a 1949 musical film starring Gloria Jean as Polly.
Plot summary
Polly Milton, a 14-year-old country girl, visits her friend Fanny Shaw and her wealthy family in the city for the first time. Poor Polly is overwhelmed by the splendor at the Shaws' and their urbanized, fashionable lifestyles, expensive clothes and other habits she has never been exposed to, and, for the most part, dislikes. Fanny's friends reject her because of her different behavior and simple clothing, and Fan herself can't help considering her unusual sometimes. However, Polly's warmth, support and kindness eventually win the hearts of all the family members, and her old-fashioned ways teach them a lesson.
Success (Roberts Bros., 1870)
Six years later, Polly comes back to the city to become a music teacher and struggles with profession issues and internal emotions. Later in the book, Polly finds out that the prosperous Shaws are on the brink of bankruptcy, and she guides them to the realization that a wholesome family life is the only thing they will ever need, not money or decoration.
With the comfort of the ever helpful Polly, the family gets to change for the better and to find a happier life for all of them. After being rejected by his fiancée, Trix, Tom procures a job out West, with Polly's brother Ned, and heads off to help his family and compensate for all the money he has wasted in frivolous expenditures. At that point of the book, we see that Polly and Tom seem to have developed strong feelings for one another.
At the end of the book, Tom returns from the West and finally gets engaged to his true love, Polly.
It was first serialised in the Merry's Museum magazine between July and August in 1869 and consisted of only six chapters. For the finished product, however, Alcott continued the story from the chapter "Six Years Afterwards" and so it ended up with nineteen chapters in all. The book turns around Polly Milton, the old-fashioned girl who titles the story. Polly visits her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw in the city and is overwhelmed by the fashionable and urban life they live––but also left out because of her "countrified" manners and outdated clothes.
The novel was the basis of a 1949 musical film starring Gloria Jean as Polly.
Plot summary
Polly Milton, a 14-year-old country girl, visits her friend Fanny Shaw and her wealthy family in the city for the first time. Poor Polly is overwhelmed by the splendor at the Shaws' and their urbanized, fashionable lifestyles, expensive clothes and other habits she has never been exposed to, and, for the most part, dislikes. Fanny's friends reject her because of her different behavior and simple clothing, and Fan herself can't help considering her unusual sometimes. However, Polly's warmth, support and kindness eventually win the hearts of all the family members, and her old-fashioned ways teach them a lesson.
Success (Roberts Bros., 1870)
Six years later, Polly comes back to the city to become a music teacher and struggles with profession issues and internal emotions. Later in the book, Polly finds out that the prosperous Shaws are on the brink of bankruptcy, and she guides them to the realization that a wholesome family life is the only thing they will ever need, not money or decoration.
With the comfort of the ever helpful Polly, the family gets to change for the better and to find a happier life for all of them. After being rejected by his fiancée, Trix, Tom procures a job out West, with Polly's brother Ned, and heads off to help his family and compensate for all the money he has wasted in frivolous expenditures. At that point of the book, we see that Polly and Tom seem to have developed strong feelings for one another.
At the end of the book, Tom returns from the West and finally gets engaged to his true love, Polly.
路易莎•奧爾科特（Louisa May Alcott，1832－1888），美國作傢。1832年11月29日出生在賓夕法尼亞州的傑曼鎮（Germantown）。她的父親布郎遜•奧爾科特是馬薩諸塞州康科德一位自學成纔的哲學家、學校改革傢和烏托邦主義者。他一生沉迷於對理想的追求，以至無力擔負家庭生活。維持生計的擔子先是落到他的妻子身上，而後又落到他那富有進取精神的二女兒路易莎 •奧爾科特身上，路易莎到學校教過書，當過女裁縫、護士，做過洗熨活，15歲時還出去做過傭人。
路易莎10歲時便已熱心於業餘戲劇演出，15歲時寫出第一部情節劇，21歲開始發表詩歌及小品。
1868年，一位出版商建議她寫一部關於“女孩子的書”，她便根據孩提的記憶寫成《小婦人》。書中把自己描寫成喬•馬奇，她的姐妹安娜、亞碧、伊麗莎白便分別成為梅格、艾美、貝思。書中的許多故事取材於現實生活，不過現實生活中的奧爾科特一傢經濟狀況遠不如她筆下的馬奇一傢。出於作者意料的是《小婦人》打動了無數美國讀者，尤其是女性讀者的心弦。之後，路易莎又續寫了《小男人》和《喬的男孩子們》，1873年又以小說形式出版了自傳著作《經驗的故事》。
路易莎成名後，繼續撰寫小說和故事，並投身於婦女選舉運動和禁酒運動。美國內戰期間她在華盛頓做過軍隊救護人員，後來，她還擔任過一傢兒童刊物（Robert Merry's Museum ）的編輯。她於1888年3月6日在波士頓去世。
Among green New England hills stood an ancient house, many-gabled, mossy-roofed, and quaintly built, but picturesque and pleasant to the eye; for a brook ran babbling through the orchard that encompassed it about, a garden-plat stretched upward to the whispering birches on the slope, and patriarchal elms stood sentinel upon the lawn, as they had stood almost a century ago, when the Revoiution rolled that way and found them young.
One summer morning, when the air was full of country sounds, of mowers in the meadow, black- birds by the brook, and the low of kine upon the hill-side, the old house wore its cheeriest aspect, and a certain humble history began.
路易莎10歲時便已熱心於業餘戲劇演出，15歲時寫出第一部情節劇，21歲開始發表詩歌及小品。
1868年，一位出版商建議她寫一部關於“女孩子的書”，她便根據孩提的記憶寫成《小婦人》。書中把自己描寫成喬•馬奇，她的姐妹安娜、亞碧、伊麗莎白便分別成為梅格、艾美、貝思。書中的許多故事取材於現實生活，不過現實生活中的奧爾科特一傢經濟狀況遠不如她筆下的馬奇一傢。出於作者意料的是《小婦人》打動了無數美國讀者，尤其是女性讀者的心弦。之後，路易莎又續寫了《小男人》和《喬的男孩子們》，1873年又以小說形式出版了自傳著作《經驗的故事》。
路易莎成名後，繼續撰寫小說和故事，並投身於婦女選舉運動和禁酒運動。美國內戰期間她在華盛頓做過軍隊救護人員，後來，她還擔任過一傢兒童刊物（Robert Merry's Museum ）的編輯。她於1888年3月6日在波士頓去世。
Among green New England hills stood an ancient house, many-gabled, mossy-roofed, and quaintly built, but picturesque and pleasant to the eye; for a brook ran babbling through the orchard that encompassed it about, a garden-plat stretched upward to the whispering birches on the slope, and patriarchal elms stood sentinel upon the lawn, as they had stood almost a century ago, when the Revoiution rolled that way and found them young.
One summer morning, when the air was full of country sounds, of mowers in the meadow, black- birds by the brook, and the low of kine upon the hill-side, the old house wore its cheeriest aspect, and a certain humble history began.