JOSEPHINE MARCH – LITTLE WOMEN - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2020
Loyal Books
When I was in the 9th standard, I won a copy
of ‘Little Women’ for a competition in school. I had already read the book
three years before, and had fallen in love with the tempestuous Josephine
March, the second sister of four. Each sister had her own special
characteristics, and Jo, as she was known, appealed to me most because she
loved writing and went through all the travails of a writer.
The other thing that appealed to me was her feisty nature
and her progressive views. Her friendship with her wealthy neighbour, Laurie,
was one of the finest friendships ever written about, even though it did end in
one-sided love. All these qualities put together made her, without doubt, the
protagonist of ‘Little Women’.
Louisa M. Alcott, the author, had fashioned the persona
of Jo in her own likeness. She was herself a writer who let her imagination run
riot, just as Jo’s initial stories did. When she was asked to write a “girls’
book”, Alcott wrote about what she knew, her life with her sisters, idealising
it in a manner that would appeal to her readers. She made Jo more likeable,
creating a kind of invisible halo around the whole family. Meg and Beth were
both good women, Amy had her foibles because she was vainer and more selfish,
but she was more real than the others who sometimes seemed too good to be true.
Jo was the outspoken, hot-headed one. She hated dressing
up and was more of a tomboy. However, she was also a dreamer who loved to
scribble in the attic. She felt life deeply and wanted to live it the way she
wanted. The ideal ending would have been for her to have fallen in love with
Laurie, but she could not see him as her husband. When she did finally fall in
love, it was with a quaint Professor who spoke English with a German accent –
Professor Bhaer. Till date, there are mixed reactions to whom Jo should have
ended up with – Laurie or Bhaer.
‘Little Women’ has never gone out of print. Six film
adaptations have been made from as long back as 1917 right up to 1994. Jo has
been played by wonderful actors like Katherine Hepburn and Winona Ryder. ‘Little
Women’ was also serialised four times by the BBC, the final version in 2017.
The latest film by Greta Gerwig was slightly different from the original story,
because the director wanted to give Alcott the ending she wanted, maybe one
that did not involve Jo marrying and having a family.
The success of her first book inspired Alcott to write
three more sequels titled ‘Good Wives’ ‘Little Men’ and ‘Jo’s Boys’ in which
the saga of the Alcott family continued over the decades, as more members were
added to the family.
Juniper Books
Josephine is indeed a very well scripted character. You've given a wonderful glimpse of her.
ReplyDelete-Sonia
Thank you, Sonia! She is a loved character and so like her creator!
DeleteGetting reviews for a first time author is a difficult process. I used usbookreviews.com to get 100+ reviews for my book at very affordable price. This helped to give a big boost to my book visibility and sales. I also got a complimentary spot in their email newsletter which also helped with sales. So, if you are looking for reviews, would definitely recommend.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the information!
DeleteJo and Beth were my favorites. And I actually liked the latest adaptation because it gave an open ending that justified Jo's personality I believe.
ReplyDeleteManali, Beth was such a lovely, gentle creature. And yes, I agree, in a way, with you about the latest adaptation. But taking Professor Bhaer out of the equation means that an interesting character gets taken away from the book.
DeleteNice to be reminded of these classical little women.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. They are enchanting, in their own ways.
DeleteLittle Women was and is one of my favourite books. I read the series one after the other and loved all of them. I even read another book written by her called "Rose In Bloom", patterned similar to Jo's Boys, but it was not as good as this series.
ReplyDeleteThat's a new title for me, Harshita. I guess when certain books are so good, anything else the author writes fades in comparison. Thank you for reading my post.
Delete