Louisa May Alcott, Work: A Story of Experience

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Louisa May Alcott's

Work: A Story of Experience

was published in 1872 but was begun a decade earlier under the initial title

Success

. To friends and publishers Alcott consistently described the work as autobiographical. Edna Cheney, Alcott's friend and the first editor of her letters and journals, recalled that Louisa once said, “Christie's adventures are many of them my own; Mr Power is Mr. Parker”(265). Alcott made a similar statement to Louise Chandler Mouldon. A few years before the author's death, Mouldon wrote her asking for material to complete Alcott's biographical sketch in

Our Famous Women

. In January 1883 Alcott responded: “I have very little material to offer for my journals were all burnt long ago in terror of gossip when I depart and on unwise use of my very frank…

5227 words

Citation: Maragou, Helena. "Work: A Story of Experience". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14958, accessed 19 March 2024.]

14958 Work: A Story of Experience 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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