I knew I’d have to devise some mnemonic to keep them all straight, and I might even need to determine how they corresponded to classical quadripartite divisions of personality, such as the four temperaments, or the four suits of Tarot cards, or the four houses of Hogwarts. Her death is very like the typical nineteenth-century fictional consumptive death, with her simply fading away and growing weaker and weaker, but still staying pretty much intact and attractive to the end. Prior to the Civil War, they harbored fugitive slaves, and hosted visits by Frederick Douglass and John Brown’s daughters. It’s dumb, I know, to criticize a classic book on the basis of what it doesn’t contain, but I still think if the Alcott family’s abolitionism had been a more obvious part of the March family, it would have been more interesting. Just a few days before Esther’s post, I had once again decided to finally read Little Women in preparation for the new movie adaptation written and directed by Greta Gerwig, whose career I’ve been following with ever-increasing joy since her days as a mumblecore goddess in movies like Hannah Takes the Stairs.

This wonderful vintage copy of Alcott’s Little Women, follows the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, as they grow into womanhood. There are countless times where the girls are all trying to “be like Marmee” to control their weakness and conform to the desires of both the family and society. As the lives of this close-knit family unfold, each of the sisters develop their individual identities through work and through love. This copy is dated 1870 on the title page, in the publisher's maroon cloth binding with gilt titling on the front cover and spine. Louisa May Alcott cleverly reveals important aspects of their personalities in the opening four lines: Josephine or Jo is lying on the floor because she’s a tomboy.and it’s fun to find other startling statements of Jo’s, such as “I just wish I could marry Meg myself, and keep her in the family. I understand I can change my preference through my account settings or unsubscribe directly from any marketing communications at any time.

For nearly six months, Eastland kept up a blistering pace, creating sketchbooks and portfolios for May, two account books for Meg, and eight journals for Jo.

I especially love the beautiful scenry in the movie, with the lack of modern city life, and the lovely old homes and simple, uncluttered lifestyle of its’ characters. Although the setting is not explicitly identified, it is very much like Concord, Massachusetts where the Alcotts lived. Jane Gardam was born in North Yorkshire in 1928 and spent her childhood in the country before winning a scholarship to study English at what is now Royal Holloway, University of London.