Louisa May Alcott Research Paper

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Louisa May Alcott was an ambitious writer. She had a true passion for writing. At age 19, she was already writing and publishing small anecdotes and poems under a pseudonym of Flora Fairfield. Alcott loved writing, “But it was her account of her Civil War experiences, Hospital Sketches (1863), that confirmed Alcott's desire to be a serious writer” (Louisa M. Alcott Biography.com). Little did Alcott know that she was going to be remarkably famous for these small works of literature. “Miss Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832 to Bronson and Abigail Alcott” (Louisa May Alcott Text). She lived with both of her parents and her 3 sisters: Anna, Elizabeth, and May. Alcott’s early life, the prelude to her writing career, was spent in both Concord and Boston, Massachusetts (Louisa M. Alcott NY Library). Along with publishing written works, Louisa had many jobs to help earn money for her lower-class family. “She worked at a variety of tasks to make money to help her family, including teaching, sewing, and housework” (Louisa May Alcott Biography) The money earned from these jobs, along with pay coming in from publications, allowed the Alcott family to enjoy a few stable and congenial years. …show more content…

This book was published in 1869 when Alcott was 37 years old (Louisa M. Alcott Paw Prints). It is said that Alcott’s “Publisher, Thomas Niles, asked her to write "a book for girls." (Louisa May Alcott Text). Alcott wrote this entire book founded on her own childhood. She had each of the characters based off of one of her sisters, including herself (The Alcott Family)! This was- and still is- Alcott’s most famous book. “By 1920 it was second only to the Bible in sales in the U.S.” (Hubbard). This is an outstanding achievement, especially because Alcott was a