The Portable Louisa May Alcott - (Portable Library) (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Although the publication of Little Women in 1868 earned Louisa May Alcott tremendous popularity, for a long time she was thought of as a writer of children's stories and considered--at best--a minor figure in the American literary canon. Now, at the end of the twentieth century, Alcott's vast body of work is being celebrated alongside the greatest American writers, and this collection shows why. The Portable Louisa May Alcott samples the entire spectrum of Alcott's work: her novels, novellas, children's stories, sensationalist fiction, gothic tales, essays, letters, and journals. Presenting her more daring works, such as Moods and Behind a Mask (both reprinted in their entirety), alongside the familiar heroines of Little Women, this singular collection offers readers a rich and wide-ranging portrait of this talented, prolific, and influential writer.

From the Back Cover

Although the publication of Little Women in 1868 earned Louisa May Alcott great renown, for a very long period thereafter she was thought of as a writer of children's books and considered -- at best -- a minor figure in the American literary canon. Now, at the end of the twentieth century, Alcott's vast body of work is being celebrated alongside that of the greatest American writers.

The Portable Louisa May Alcott samples the entire spectrum of Alcott's writings: her novels, novellas, children's stories, sensationalist fiction, gothic tales, memoirs, letters, and journals. Presenting her more daring works, such as Moods and Behind a Mask, alongside the more familiar heroines, and including a selection of personal writing, this singular collection shows the relationship not only between Little Women and Alcott's family life but also between Little Women and the sensation fiction -- and how this apparent dichotomy illuminates who Alcott was. Edited by award-winning Alcott scholar Elizabeth Lennox Keyser, The Portable Louisa May Alcott offers readers a wide-ranging portrait of this influential writer.