In this dissertation, I will examine the novel Little Women (1868), written by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) in order to explore whether the concept of gender is more of a social construct than a biological reality. My study will focus on analysing the lived experiences of the March sisters, Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth as portrayed by Alcott in the novel. Through my analysis of the March sisters, who are growing up to develop into conventional women against a particular socio-historical context, I will attempt to argue that the motif of gender is dynamic in process and is often bound to perform stereotypically according to certain socio-cultural dictates.
Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869 respectively. The first …show more content…
The novel has been established as a primary work within the canon of juvenile literature and is considered to be the first children’s books in America to break with the didactic tradition. According to Sarah Albert, Alcott creates a new form of literature, one that takes elements from romantic children’s fiction and combines it with others from sentimental novels, resulting in a totally new format (Elbert, 1980). Although the culture at her time demanded that Alcott should produce moralizing tales, she has introduced realism and preached moderation rather than excessive religious moulding. Through Little Women, she is showing moral representation in certain aspects such as what it might mean to be a woman and also indicates the issues of gender and identity, education and marriage.
Little Women is not only one of the most widely read novels but is also a work that has been adapted and re-adapted in the other forms of media. In addition to a 1958 television series, multiple Broadway plays, a musical, a ballet, and an opera, Little Women has been made into seven movies. The most famous are the 1933 version starring Katherine Hepburn, the 1949 version starring June Allyson with Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, and the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder. In 1987, Japan made an anime version of Little Women that run for 48 half-hour …show more content…
The journey of the modern feminist wave from nineteenth to the twenty-first century is divided into three waves. First wave feminism arose in the context of industrial society and liberal politics but is connected to both the liberal women’s rights movement and early socialist feminism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States and Europe. This period of feminist activity focused more on legal issues and involved gaining women’s suffrage and political equality. Concerned with access and equal opportunities for women, the first wave continued to influence feminism in both Western and Eastern societies throughout the twentieth century. Second wave feminism, which emerged in the 1960s to 1970s, is closely linked to the radical voices of women’s empowerment and differential rights over a wide range of issues. The attention was directed not only on legal rights, but it also opened up discussions on the issues of domestic violence, reproductive rights, economic freedom and workplace inequalities. The third feminist wave, from the mid-1990s onward, sprang from the emergence of a new postcolonial and post-socialist world order, in the context of information society and neoliberal, global politics. This contemporary movement has broadened the boundaries of feminist activities and issues and also attempted to relocate the apparently marginalized women of colour
Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869 respectively. The first …show more content…
The novel has been established as a primary work within the canon of juvenile literature and is considered to be the first children’s books in America to break with the didactic tradition. According to Sarah Albert, Alcott creates a new form of literature, one that takes elements from romantic children’s fiction and combines it with others from sentimental novels, resulting in a totally new format (Elbert, 1980). Although the culture at her time demanded that Alcott should produce moralizing tales, she has introduced realism and preached moderation rather than excessive religious moulding. Through Little Women, she is showing moral representation in certain aspects such as what it might mean to be a woman and also indicates the issues of gender and identity, education and marriage.
Little Women is not only one of the most widely read novels but is also a work that has been adapted and re-adapted in the other forms of media. In addition to a 1958 television series, multiple Broadway plays, a musical, a ballet, and an opera, Little Women has been made into seven movies. The most famous are the 1933 version starring Katherine Hepburn, the 1949 version starring June Allyson with Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, and the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder. In 1987, Japan made an anime version of Little Women that run for 48 half-hour …show more content…
The journey of the modern feminist wave from nineteenth to the twenty-first century is divided into three waves. First wave feminism arose in the context of industrial society and liberal politics but is connected to both the liberal women’s rights movement and early socialist feminism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States and Europe. This period of feminist activity focused more on legal issues and involved gaining women’s suffrage and political equality. Concerned with access and equal opportunities for women, the first wave continued to influence feminism in both Western and Eastern societies throughout the twentieth century. Second wave feminism, which emerged in the 1960s to 1970s, is closely linked to the radical voices of women’s empowerment and differential rights over a wide range of issues. The attention was directed not only on legal rights, but it also opened up discussions on the issues of domestic violence, reproductive rights, economic freedom and workplace inequalities. The third feminist wave, from the mid-1990s onward, sprang from the emergence of a new postcolonial and post-socialist world order, in the context of information society and neoliberal, global politics. This contemporary movement has broadened the boundaries of feminist activities and issues and also attempted to relocate the apparently marginalized women of colour