As the author who expressed as well as helped shape American ideals of domesticity through the cross-generational appeal of her Little Women, Louisa May Alcott has been a writer of note for more than a century. Since 1888, the year of her death, there have been numerous biographies and critical studies of the popular author. And yet, it is in the context of recent debates on the cultural significance of non-canonical texts that Alcott’s work appears more fascinating than ever before. Scholarly criticism on Louisa May Alcott has increased significantly since the 1970s, when the discovery of her sensational thrillers revealed unsuspected dimensions to the work and personality of the author popularly known as “The Children&

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First published 09 February 2004

Citation: Maragou, Helena. "Louisa May Alcott". The Literary Encyclopedia. 9 February 2004.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=62, accessed 9 February 2010.]