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Eight Cousins: What would you do if you couldn’t read?
illustration by Robert Doremus “Now, Mac, listen to me,” Rose said very earnestly, though her voice shook a little and her heart ached. “You know you have hurt your eyes reading by fire-light and in...
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Work: Staring madness in the face
The Yellow Wallpaper by Kaitaro A ticking time bomb lay inside of Louisa May Alcott and she knew it. It went off with her father, her Uncle Junius, and eventually, herself. Her journals alluded to it....
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Returning to “Work:” In and out of the mist – Louisa’s art reflects life
We return to a discussion of Work: A Story of Experience where chapter 7, “Through the Mist” marks a turning point in Christie’s life. It is also a powerful and penetrating look inside the author who...
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Six women writers (including Louisa May Alcott) and their journeys as writers...
There is a wonderful film online featuring the stories of six prominent women writers (including Louisa May Alcott, of course!. It is called Behind a Mask: Six Women Finding a Space to Write. Here is...
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Elisabeth Alcott through the eyes of her father
By the time Elisabeth Sewall Alcott was born, Bronson had moved on from chronicling the daily activities of his daughters to exploring the soul. In Eden’s Outcasts, John Matteson writes that “Elizabeth...
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Places that are redemptive, and damning: Monday presentation by Stephen Burby...
Note: Mr. Burby kindly gave me his presentation (handwritten notes and all) in lieu of the fact that I was unable to attend the Monday session of the Summer Conversational Series. I thank him for doing...
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Women’s health issues in Alcott’s time: Lizzie’s diagnosis and its repercussions
Research is addictive. It’s a lot like writing, taking you on a journey far beyond where you imagined you would go. Researching Elizabeth Alcott’s life is taking me on that unexpected journey. In the...
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A rare look at Louisa May Alcott’s life as an invalid and a patient
You never know what you will find out from a librarian. Or where research will lead you. That’s what makes it so addictive. The Alcotts and Homeopathy My research on Elizabeth Alcott has recently led...
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The Alcott daughters as beneficiaries of their parents’ progressive ideas on...
Recently I read an essay called “Women, Menstruation and Nineteenth Century Medicine” by Vern Bullough and Martha Voght which discussed how misinformation regarding women and menstruation prevented...
View ArticleReview of “Louisa on the Front Lines” by Samantha Seiple
Many fans of Little Women are not aware of the fact that Louisa May Alcott, a bestselling children's author, also served her country during the Civil War as a nurse. Because of her experience in...
View ArticleAn explanation of Homeopathy (the treatment of choice by the Alcotts)
This is a fascinating article that explains with great clarity the scope and nature of homeopathic medicine (my thanks to Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn for this referral). Bronson and Abba Alcott were firm...
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