Little Women

Little Women 簡介

Little Women

Timeless in its evocation of idealized family life and robustly enduring, Little Women is recognized as one of the best-loved classic children's stories of all time. Originally written as a "girls" story, its appeal transcends the boundaries of time and age, making it as popular with adults as it is with young readers. For this is a beguiling story of happiness and hope, of the joys of companionship, domestic harmony and infinite mother love, all seen through the life of the March family. But which of the four March sisters to love best? For every reader must have their favorite. Independent, tomboyish Jo; delicate, loving Beth; pretty, kind Meg, or precocious and beautiful Amy, the baby of the family?
This version of Little Women is augmented with text and illustrations that explain some of the period social customs, clothes, entertainments, etc. Also included are some bits of information about Louisa May Alcott's life. This approach seems best suited to children already familiar with the story; they may find the historical perspective interesting. First-time readers will most likely be distracted by the margin notes that pull attention from the narrative. While they can be helpful, as when they illustrate an unfamiliar piece of clothing, they are often distracting and can even be confusing in their placement. For instance, a note mentioning the Laurences is placed two pages before those characters are introduced. This format may also discourage readers from independent research?a process that can be rewarding in its own right. One other caveat?as explained in an endnote, Little Women was originally written in two parts, and this volume only contains part one, which ends with Mr. March's return. Readers familiar with the more common two-part version may find this title incomplete; children new to this classic will be better off with any one of the unembellished versions available.

little women 的作者

路易莎·奧爾科特（Louisa May Alcott，1832－1888），美國作家。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·奧爾科特是麻薩諸塞州康科德一位自學成才的哲學家、學校改革家和烏托邦主義者。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、伊莉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家經濟狀況遠不如她筆下的馬奇一家。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，她還擔任過一家兒童刊物（Robert Merry's Museum ）的編輯。她於1888年3月6日在波士頓去世。