Fan Favorite: Great American Authors | Louisa May Alcott: The Breadwinner
3/4/202639 min
In 1840, eight-year-old Louisa May Alcott moved to the small town of Concord, Massachusetts with her family. There, she spent her days wandering through the woods, putting on plays with her sisters, and learning from famed writers and philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
For years, Alcott struggled to achieve success as a writer. Then in 1868, she drew inspiration from her youth to write her beloved coming-of-age novel Little Women. By exploring the aspirations and challenges faced by young women, she defied 19th century norms that sought to confine women in both life and lite...
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLindsey Graham· Host0:00
[intro music] [paper rustling] Imagine it's April eighteen fifty-four in Boston, and you're in the offices of your publishing company, Ticknor and Fields. [yawning] Fatigue is getting the better of you as you sit at your desk, tapping your fingers against the worn wooden surface. All morning, you've been working your way through a stack of manuscripts, but so far, nothing's caught your interest. A young woman pulls back the heavy green curtain that separates you from your assistant. She wears a plain dress, and her dark hair is pinned back neatly. You recognize her as Louisa, the daughter of your friend, Bronson Alcott. Ah, Miss Alcott, please have a seat. You gesture toward the chair on the other side of your desk. She sits down, smiling nervously.
Speaker 20:54
Thank you, sir.
Lindsey Graham· Host0:56
What brings you here today?
Speaker 20:57
I've brought an essay for your consideration.
Lindsey Graham· Host1:01
You nod warily, steeling yourself to evaluate the work of a friend's daughter. You never expected her to visit your office unannounced. Ah, I see. Well, hand it over. With trembling hands, she hands you several handwritten pages.
Speaker 21:16
It's about the seven weeks I spent working as a companion and servant to an elderly man and his invalid daughter. The work was grueling, and my employer expected me to spend hours each day fawning over him.