Little Women--the novel that started it all?

2/10/2021

When Louise May Alcott published Little Women in 1868, it was after years of publishing and trying to publish material for adults. But in order to support her family, Alcott agreed to her publisher's request that she write a novel for young readers--something she was not entirely interested in doing. But Alcott was a pragmatist and her father, Bronson Alcott, failed transcendentalist, brought in exactly zero money to the household. So, again, at the urging of her publisher, Little Women, which was originally published with that title as Part I, and Part II (originally published as Good Wives) came to be.

A little more history: Since then, Little Women, while largely positioned as children's literature before Young Adult was a thing, has never been out of print. Further, it has been the subject of numerous film adaptations (notably the 1949 version with Elizabeth Taylor as Amy, 1994 with Winona Ryder as Jo, and 2019's Greta Gerwig's celebrated--and significantly altered--version with Saoirse Ronan as Jo). The Canadian Opera staged a Little Women opera. And there have been numerous retellings of the novel: The Spring Girls: A Modern-Day Retelling of Little Women by Anna Todd, Littler Women: A Modern Retelling by Laura Schaefer, The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly, The Little Women: A Novel by Katharine Weber, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, a graphic novel version of the story, by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Bre Indigo, and, most recently, Meg and Jo by Virgina Kantra, which will be followed by its sequel, Amy and Beth (Perry and Kantra).

In other words, as a coming-of-age novel, it has had a significant and lasting effect on young readers, primarily young women, for a century and a half.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My own experience as a young reader was greatly shaped by reading Little Women. I did not come from a family of readers, though my mother became one. I had an Aunt who would, in the summer months, take me and my sister to a local library to escape brutal summer heat. And, as is probably a story not unfamiliar to you, I found solace and comfort of another sort in books. I raced through all the Little House books and through all the books about horses, queens, and First Ladies available to me. And then my cousin Susan, who was many years my senior, seemed to notice that I was a reader, and, in a tremendous show of support in a family that did not entirely trust or value books, Sue bought me my copy of Little Women.

Here is a photo of the cover of my copy that I read, every summer, like a pilgrimage, from roughly the time I was 9 years old until I went away to college--and even every once in a while after. You can also see here the book plate with my ridiculous hand-writing and, finally, the inscription from my cousin--I look at her writing and she seemed as young as me, though she was my older, glamorous cousin who had a job and a car and an apartment.

The March girls became touchstones to me, marking different parts of my personality at different points in my life. And, as a text, it challenged me as a reader when I was young and led me to other texts as I grew older--The Brontes, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton. And then on to Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison. And on and on. My cousin Sue died this past year of an aggressive cancer, and I tell you that to commemorate this person who was so important to the person I've become now. For me, it's the books and the people that gave them to me that make me the person you know in class each week.

NOTE: I owe a debt of gratitude to my former honor's thesis student and former 344 student Jess Rinker who wrote her own revisioning of the novel this past summer and whose research on the retellings I rely on here.

WHAT TO POST THIS WEEK: In your Book Club Journals, I've asked you to talk about the text as "young," "adult" and "literature" and to consider the characteristics of YA fiction that we touched on in class (I've posted more about this in each groups book club google.doc). And I've discussed at length the longevity of the story of Little Women and that is for good reason: in so many ways, it is a novel that I a predecessor of a great many of the kinds of stories that populate the YA lexicon. This week I'm challenging the idea of the timeless of the novel. Instead of a teaching discussion post this week, I'm challenging you to re-imagine Little Women for a 21st Century YA reader.

If you were going to update Little Women, how might you do it? In 300 words, provide a synopsis of your 2020 version of the classic Little Women. RESPOND in roughly 100-200 words to at least one of your colleagues by either building on their update idea and/or suggesting why you think, as a reader or a teacher, this would work as an update (or wouldn’t).

32 Comments

Demi Riendeau

2/15/2021 07:54:28 am

Reading Little Women the biggest aspect of my adaptation that I would like to focus on would be representation within the text. I think Alcott walks the line toward better representation with Jo, but ultimately her fate lands her being married to a man. I felt like this was a large disservice to Jo and deeply upset me. Now, I feel as if; from conversations with my roommates who also read the book and engaged with “book club” discussions with me, many people think that Jo should end up with Laurie, but I also think that would be a huge disservice to Jo. Jo is clearly wrestling with feelings that make her not want to marry a man. Now, whatever those attributes of Jo are, I think they should be discussed. If I were to make this story for readers today, I would include questions that many young people grapple with and seem to present within Jo’s character, such as, what gender, if any, am I romantically interested in, do identify with the gender I was assigned with at birth, do I have any interest in marrying? The fate of making Jo marry, just for the sake of marrying, is devastating and is something I would want to change in a current day adaptation.
Another aspect of representation that I would want to change to become more inclusive, is the parental roles present. There are many ways to do this, but I think that the manner I would try to revision this, is the presence of one 1 parent. This could be fit within the novels frame by instead of a war, having a parent just walk out and there being a question of their return. In this sense the letters could potentially be replaced by grandparents who the parent went to go and stay with. I also think through this representation it might be valuable to have it be the father that stays with the girls versus the mother. There is very little literature space for male parents to be dependable care takers. I think this would serve well to reach and represent a wider more inclusive audience within the text.

Ashley Munoz

2/15/2021 03:59:38 pm

When it comes to Jo’s sexuality and gender interest, I most definitely agree with you. During this read through for me I realized more and more as I got through the book that Jo was “just” a tomboy, but that was the interpretation that was given. Also noting that the time period the book came out in Alcott, even if she had wanted to, may not have been able to write Jo’s story in that way just due to the social structure of that day and age. I completely agree that altering Jo’s experience in who she can love is an important change needed in the reimaging of the novel. This way it adds to the relatability that we as society face today with how we experience and handle sexuality and gender constructs.

2/15/2021 04:16:58 pm

If I were to update Little Women to be a modern 2021 version of itself, I would want to relate it to what we have experienced recently. More specifically the pandemic because I feel that can be used in the situations the girls face. When I say this, I am thinking of Beth, and how she is already housebound to an illness in the original. However, we can adjust this to the virtual learning that students today are dealing with. Keeping Beth fully remote before and after the pandemic would be an interesting play on what we have read about her already, it gives her a larger social circle in some sense and add a new dimension to her character. The parental aspect is another piece I would like to touch on, as Mr. March would most likely not be currently in the military in my imagining but perhaps a traveling journalist who dies abroad instead. Our beloved Marmee would be an emergency hospital nurse, which ties in well with who she is described to be, a loving, hardworking mother who wants to help those around her. I believe that even changing simple things such as career choices of the characters has the ability to pull them into the future and make it seem like they are a family that could live next door to you. And not even just careers but who they are as people and what role they play in their daughters lives, in the lives of their town. There is also the aspect of social media, if we incorporate this with the March family how does that change their experiences? How does that alter who they are? If At all? While I think I could discuss many more details I would change those are the ones I will stick to for today, for the sake of not being too lengthy.

Lindsay Everson

2/15/2021 06:39:22 pm

Hi Ashley,
I love how you say that the Marches could be the family next door because that is exactly how I felt when reading the novel. I thought a lot about incorporating social media and the struggles they pose on young girls and body image. I could certainly see topics such as those incorporated into the modern version through Amy's jealousy of pretty girls. I also feel that Beth would represent one's struggle with mental illness. Beth often seemed depressed towards the end of the novel due to her sickness and gave until she had no more to give. I feel the updated version could touch upon topics of mental health and I would love to see Beth thrive through the love and support she gets from her family.

2/16/2021 12:41:55 pm

Hi Ashley!
I really liked your modern take on Little Women. It is interesting because I never though about including the pandemic in my retake of the novel, even though it fits so well! (Maybe that is just because I am trying to wish it away). But I love how you included more dynamic stories for the characters that gave them a bit more substance. I think by making Marmee a hospital nurse during this time as well, also serves to modernize the text well, as being a stay at home mother is not easily accessible anymore. I really liked the questions of social media you brought up as well. I cant help but focus on the trips the girls took and the dances they went to. I feel as if social media would definitely have affected their experiences with these interactions. Great post, I relaly enjoyed reading it!

Brittany Ann Oppenheimer

2/16/2021 02:33:10 pm

Hello Ashley

I think that could be very interesting. Especially with what happens to Beth towards the end of the book. I wonder how the story would look when it came to the family survival and if the they had different methods of keeping viruses like that away. It's possible that they could have quarantined too, but I would love to see the "insanity" side of it knowing that going outside anywhere could kill them or make them sick. I believe this is called "cabin fever?" (Something alone the lines of that) where if you are stuck in one place for too long, it can make you go crazy. Imagining how the family deals with that knowing full well that Beth is suffering because of it would make a interesting tale. Plus, I would wonder too if Beth had to be separated from the rest of the family because of it or did the family keep her close not knowing if the virus is contagious. I like your idea a lot, it's very interesting to think about.

Grace Donnelly

2/15/2021 05:27:42 pm

Houses today are like railroad stations. The oldest leaving for basketball practice, dropping the middle sibling off at piano lessons on her way. The youngest will wait for Mom or Dad to get home, before joining friends at an after-school club.
A reimagined Marmee would preside over these comings and goings, trying to draw her scattered little women back together as well as teach the life lessons that they’d need to survive in the world. The cozy, local atmosphere of the novel, created by the war and the March’s means, would be significantly changed. In 2021 Concord, MA, the Marches would still be struggling economically, but the sisters would have more freedom to pursue their individual goals, thus separating them from each other and creating additional conflict. Both their societal freedom (no need for chaperones, improved gender equality) and their physical freedom (the distance they could conveniently travel--just 25 minutes into Boston) would be greatly increased. The worlds they moved in wouldn’t be so small, which would result in Amy globe-trotting with friends from her art classes instead of Aunt March, and Jo pursuing a higher-stakes goal of making it to Hollywood to become a young producer or screenwriter, instead of author. Beth’s convalescence, with improved medical technology, would last months to years, and might not end in her death at all. Instead of heading to the beach with Laurie and Fred Vaughan, the group would travel to Faneuil Hall or the North End in Boston.
No 2021 version would see Laurie marrying Amy, he’d be scorned for stealing Jo’s sister. Meg and Mr. Brooke would end the story engaged, but not married, and Jo would be able to choose her romantic partners from a group of her peers, instead of random German tutors uncomfortably out of her age bracket. The story would retain the sisterhood, close familial bond, and pilgrimage toward maturity, but would shift due to the social and economic differences of 2000s Concord versus 1800s Concord.

Orlaith Connolly

2/16/2021 08:55:04 pm

While I completely agree with everything else you have stated in your reply, I find myself disagreeing with your first point. I think that a modern mother would not preside over her children’s comings and goings or try to gather them up as you implied; I actually think that it’s quite the opposite. I only say this because from my experience at least, all of my friend’s parents couldn't care less about where they were or what they were doing (mine were QUITE the opposite lol) For a very long time, I resented my parents because I just didn’t understand that they only had my best interest in mind and were just watching out for my well being!

2/15/2021 06:26:17 pm

If I were going to update Little Women, I would base it off of modern times and the effects that the media poses on young girls in our society. I see the March Girls all being in High School in a wealthy town, however, their parents do not have a lot of money. I can see Mrs. March being an aide in a nursing home and Mr. March would be in the army stationed on a base far away. Instead of letters, the girls would be able to facetime their father but they would not see him for months at a time. The four girls would show different first experiences since they are all a year apart and at different stages in life. Jo would be upset when her sister meg goes off to college, because she no longer will have her sister by her side. Amy, being the youngest, and as we know the most jealous of other girls, would be upset that she could not afford all the nice things that the other freshman girls have. She would not only care about nice things, but she would desperately care about the social ladder and being popular. Meg however seems to be the type to be naturally cool and well liked in high school. I imagine her to go to college and become a school teacher, where she meets Mr. Brooke, who shares the same major. Their family would still portray how you can be happy without having all the wealth in the world. I imagine Beth being really shy in high school but the most talented musician. Beth would also marry a rich man who is kind, and we would see her grow old and happy with him. If Beth did marry rich, it would show an example of someone who did not use someone for their money, but due to the genuine love they share. Amy would end up marrying a poor man to show that luxuries in life are nothing compared to the rewards of love. Jo and Laurie would end up together because their love seems to be the most genuine in the story because they are best friends. I can imagine them playing as children and not becoming attracted to each other till they become teens. They are there for each other through the trials and tribulations of life, and it is evident to me that they could be a good couple due to the love and support they share. Overall, the novel shows us to be happy with what one does have rather than fretting on what one does not have. The updated version would touch upon coming-of-age topics that relate to young girls nowadays such as the dangers that social media poses to body image, the self-esteem issues that come with the media and a constant anxiety of a fear of missing out.

Adlai Greene

2/15/2021 07:02:25 pm

This is a really cool reimagination of the novel, Lindsay. I especially like your focus on how social media would influence each of the girls differently and how overall it would impact all of them, whether they wanted it to or not. I also like the way you bring in Meg going to college. This would kind of be like when Meg married Brooke but nicely modernized. You would be able to capture a lot of the same feelings that Jo felt as she lost her sister and friend. I also think it is interesting that you would place Jo and Laurie together in the end. I feel like their love story is controversial for many readers looking for that "happy ending" and I think you gave solid reasons as to why you would envision that relationship working out. I can see their friendship lasting for a long time and slowly (very slowly) turning into love. You final theme about being happy with what one has is especially key in our society which is based so strongly on consumerism and the "next best thing." Cool idea for a retelling!

2/15/2021 06:52:49 pm

One of my favorite aspects of Little Women is how the stories Alcott tells are used to convey some kind of lesson or moral—usually something to do with self-reflection and self-improvement. Although the novel is in many ways “old-fashioned” to us today, I believe the lessons Alcott refers to are still applicable today. In my retelling, I would seek to make this a key component of the novel, even in the 21st century. I would try to capture some of the lessons taught in Little Women within a shorter timespan—for example, write the whole novel on just the year 2020. I think the pandemic would be a unique setting because it impacted different people differently. Instead of sisters, I might have the four main characters be cousins, each from different economic backgrounds, living together during quarantine. If this were the case, then the readers would be able to see how the pandemic affected various people groups. I would still model each girl after the characters in the novel with “Jo” as the tomboy (rebelling against society), “Meg” as the social media queen, “Beth” as the shy and talented one, and “Amy” as the fun, yet immature and influenced one. I think social media and the internet would play a large role in this YA novel as the girls would use this to connect to the rest of the world and see all the ways they are privileged. For example, I can envision a scene where the girls try out workout trends and it leads to a conversation about body image and health that reflects the unrealistic beauty standards society places on young girls and women. Additionally, I can see them using their time in quarantine to serve others, such as writing cards to those in nursing homes. “Laurie” could still be the lonely boy next-door maybe struggling with depression or anxiety and as all of them are forced home for quarantine, a friendship could ensue as they creatively try to do things together without breaking quarantine. “Marmee” would be a doctor or nurse at the hospital braving Covid cases daily and using the stories she hears at work to help her young girls become thoughtful, brave, and caring ladies. I would definitely add modern components to this retelling, such as inserting text messages, Instagram posts, and tweets.

Grace

2/15/2021 08:33:03 pm

I absolutely love this reimagining. Cousins, especially, would be a new way to portray the characters, and it's a way to access an audience that might not have that close bond with their siblings (or the only children!). Fitting them into social media groups you described, especially Amy as influenced, would match the original characters perfectly. Laurie as the boy next door is still true to the script, and Marmee's angelic Samaritan qualities remain. Quarantine might limit some aspects of the story--it would be a struggle to incorporate the traveling that each March character does, or how they come in contact with friends/relatives like Aunt March and Mr. Brooke, but this could easily be fixed by setting the story over a number of years, before and after quarantine. Nice idea!

Tenneh Sesay

2/16/2021 09:28:45 am

I agree with both of you guys. This story was about life and lesson how can we turn our life around. Especially with everything going on .

Lauren Grisolia

2/16/2021 11:51:10 am

I really love this take on the story!! I think that teenagers today really need this sort of story. I love how you decided to make the girls cousins instead of sisters because it switched things up a little bit. Cousins most of the time aren’t around each other as much as siblings are and it really shows a different perspective on the relationships. I also like how social media comes into play. A teenager today probably couldn’t imagine life without Instagram or Snapchat, and having it be included in the story really helps them connect even more. Great job!!

Hannah MacDonald

2/16/2021 06:55:42 pm

I think having the story's setting be a group of people quarantining during the pandemic is a really interesting idea. I also liked that you adapted the aspect of "serving others" that we see in the original book, in a more realistic way for 2020. Along with writing cards to nursing homes, I think the girls being involved with something like Meals on Wheels would be a good way to capture a modern day version of helping the less fortunate. Since social media is such a huge aspect for today, it is a great way to incorporate it heavily while still staying true to the character's original development.

Cora A Roche

2/17/2021 08:06:36 am

I love your adaptation idea! The amazing part of the original novel is that these girls are so introspective, and they really liked to think about the world around them. They liked to question what was going on around them and have meaningful conversations. The idea of this love of conversation, and tying it back to this pandemic, where many people were forced to slow down and think, would be so interesting. Also the idea that many family's, who have been busy with everyday life, are now forced to be under the same roof for an extended period of time would be interesting to read about in this context. Also your parallel to the March's love of helping their community and friends with people giving back and volunteering during the pandemic is genius!!!

claire laurent

2/15/2021 09:31:42 pm

Synopsis of an adaptation of Little Women

In this day and age, to have such a close knit family as the March girls and their parents, is almost unheard of. Most households are mostly detached because each person has a different schedule which causes them to be isolated and barely have the time to socialize and share precious moments like breakfast and storytelling. If they do get the time to do so, it is rushed, not qualifying as quality time, or it is a holiday. Even if the children are minors, it is undeniable that they most likely have different academic demands and social activities that draw a sense of separation between them and their siblings. In short, today we do not have as much time at our disposal to live as the March girls do. It is a sad truth but nevertheless, it is a covetable, desirable and enviable family life that the Marchs share.
Because of that, if I were to produce an adaptation of Little Women, I would barely change anything except for editing the dated language used to tell the story, such as when Meg said: “It aches so, (p.28)” when she hurt her ankle at the party, this could be changed to “it hurts so bad”. And when Jo and Laurie were talking at the party, they start their questions with negative particles known as standard negation: “Don’t you like to dance? (p.25)” this sounds extravagant in the context of the conversation and could be changed to “Do you like dancing?” I would also change the clothing that the characters wear and describe them as more modern articles like jeans, hoodies, bubble Jackets and graphic t-shirts instead of aprons, frocks and bonnets. I would also change the gift articles they get their mother for Christmas: instead of gloves, hemmed handkerchiefs, army shoes and a bottle of cologne, I would change them to more relevant items in accordance with contemporary times, like: electronics or memberships, gift cards and something delicious to eat.

Nicholas A Ceniseroz

2/16/2021 01:16:26 pm

So I feel like your statement about the closeness of families is true to an extent, but I don’t think I’d go quite as far to the point you describe. I know plenty of families that are pretty close and take the concept very seriously, even in contexts where they might not have a lot of opportunities to spend a lot of time together. And to my understanding it’s not uncommon for families on the poorer side of the financial spectrum similar to the March’s tend to be even more tight knit compared to richer and comfortably middle class families. I feel like there were plenty of family relationship-oriented points in the story like chapter 8 where Amy and Jo fight and do things they regret and struggle to reconcile until something happens and forgive and forget that still all the time even in this day and age. Still, I see where you’re coming from and I do think there could be some interesting directions you could go with that idea. We could have a story where part of the struggle is them growing apart as Amy and Beth are in middle school, Jo and Meg are in high school and they’re busy with clubs and jobs and their own social circles and they worry about not having as much time to spend with each other as they used to, or something like that. And yeah, I’d say updating the language is a given, though I think it’d be kinda funny if they still talked in that super dated way.

2/16/2021 07:47:38 am

If I were to rewrite this to be more modern, I think I'd probably lessen the severity of disparity between the lives of the somewhat poor March family and people like Laurie. That's not to say even in this day and age there aren't differences between the lives of different wealth classes, but I'd probably have them all attending school for one since that sort of thing is pretty mandatory in this day and age. The March family could either still live in a small substandard house, or live in an apartment next to the fancier penthouse apartment Laurie would live in. The father could be a soldier stationed overseas. I would probably keep the overall archetype of their characters the same but just alter the context of them a bit to be more fitting of the 21st century and not post-Civil War era sensibilities. Jo would still be a tomboy, but I feel like people would care a bit less since that type of girl is more or less pretty socially acceptable in this day and age. Maybe have her do a sport like soccer or something. She would still be super into literature and I think I might have be a sort of trivial point of conflict, since as far as I'm aware when people imagine someone who's all boyish and outgoing they might not assume someone who's also a bookwork and writes novels and poetry. Like the unexpected jock who's into Shakespeare type of character. So she might be embarrassed by that contrast within her character but she'll get over it and own it eventually. Plus with technology and the internet it would be easier to keep that sort of things under wraps since she could keep it just in the files of a computer. I gotta say I from the beginning I was rooting for Laurie and Jo to get together, I thought their chemistry in the beginning was really cute. But if I had to keep the general core of the events more or less the same, then I think I'd probably be obligated to have the person Jo ends up with be an upperclassmen or alumni tutor at most. Since I don't imagine having an older professor marrying his student would go over quite as smoothly today as it might have in the 1800s. As for Beth, she could still be the shy, reserved peacemaker type. But in school she'd be the sort of wallflower type of character who's really sweet but is awkward with people outside her family circle and has no friends. That, or I could go further with the concept and have her be even more of a shut in by having her not attend school, perhaps make her too sickly to do so or something. She could still do online classes and stuff. Speaking of which I feel like it would be somewhat fitting for her to be an internet junkie since she's a shut in. She might lurk on social media, maybe play MMOs and that would be where she satisfies her social needs outside her family. Amy I feel would be the slightly annoying and selfish know-it-all but admirably confidant type of kid. Since she's already in school in the original and frequently makes a point of it, maybe she could be an honors student instead, and she could still be inclined more towards an artistic path. Meg could then be the more social butterfly who's somewhat popular but more or less normal, but she wants to go even further with her popularity but down the line she realizes how annoying far end of that spectrum can be. Then the problems they deal with and lessons they learn could be altered to be more relevant to the lives of 21st century kids who are crammed in a building with other 200+ kids on a daily basis and in the wake of social media.

2/16/2021 09:26:35 am

Let's just say if we were Little Women in the modern especially at this time during the pandemic. I would say that this is a lesson for us how we can be self-reflection and self-improvement. Even thought the might be novel in many ways old-fashioned but, that old-fashioned make us look different in life.I can have four different character but to me cousin is important to me because each of them have their own ways of living like economic backgrounds, living together during quarantine. I would place these girls as a model by looking at them and they personality first would be “Jo” as the tomboy (rebelling against society), “Meg” as the social media queen, “Beth” as the shy and talented one, and “Amy” as the fun, yet immature and influenced one.

2/16/2021 11:26:20 am

If I were to rewrite Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, I would definitely make it fit into the 21st century. Taking more of a modern approach, Mr. March wouldn’t be really “gone,” I would make him be in the daughters lives physically; but be very uninterested and absent because he is an alcoholic. Mrs. March would be a nurse who is just trying to keep her daughters a float. I would keep the same theme with the daughters all reading the same book, but instead of the book, I would make it a popular podcast that the girls have an attachment too where the podcasters give advice on how to live in “their world”, of being a teenager. I would use the world were living in, as the pandemic is going on, and show the struggles of each girl and how the world being shut down would affect them. I would make each chapter be from one of the sisters perspective, to really connect their life to the reader and make it seem like we’re really in each characters head. You do adults today really need their own version of little women, and I think it’s possible to do so as long as the themes of being a women and learning how to work hard are still included. I feel as though some teenagers today forget what it’s like to really struggle, and taking a classic and relating it to social media and this decade can really open some people’s eyes for the better.

Samantha Yidiaris

2/16/2021 11:45:23 am

I like that you would not make Mr. March gone, as he wouldn't really be gone in today's society. Giving the twist of a podcast instead of a book is smart as well because it definitely gives a more modern approach to the novel. I would have to agree and say that young adults really need their own version of Little Women, and hopefully they would benefit from the themes that the novel gives us. I think that teenagers today go through some different struggles than some in classic novels, so I wouldn't really say that they forget what it's like to struggle, but I think that modern teens can relate in a sense of growing up, and could benefit from relating this classic to modern day problems like social media.

2/16/2021 11:38:15 am

Although many aspect of Little Women can relate to problems that we face in today’s society, I would like to base my adaptation of Little Women in the decade we are currently in, and see how the March sisters would do in today’s society. By putting the family in this decade, they would face issues of social media, the pressure of high school, and all of the pressures that we face in a technologically advanced society. I would be interested to see how the use of technology would affect much of the plot of Little Women. Specifically, I would like to change who Jo March marries. Honestly, I was disappointed with the fact that Jo ended up marrying the professor while she deliberately discussed how she never wanted to marry or have kids. If Alcott never had Jo marry, we could have had a more modern adaptation of the novel where Jo is an independent woman and this would bring more representation of female empowerment into the novel. While I was reading Little Women, I never got the impression that Jo wanted the “marriage life” except when she was with Laurie, but like I said, if the novel ended out with Jo not marrying anyone, it would be a much more powerful statement and something that I would focus on in my modern adaptation of the novel. Other than my strong opinion on Jo’s marital status, I would keep much of the novel the same, as I said; a lot of the novel could be easily transferred into today’s society. I believe adding all of this to the novel would create a modern aspect to it, and it would relate to the world that we live in today.

2/16/2021 02:25:15 pm

In my version, I would update two things in particular. The first would be to see this type of story set in the 2000s where the English language and the way people view our society now has changed. For example, what if there was a way we could show Jo or Meg get married to another women instead of a guy? What if we follow them and their struggles to accept that it might be ok to feel this way about another woman while trying to keep the Christianity themes tied to it in some way. I think it would be interesting to see the girls speak slang or have a different way of speaking then in the original version. I also think it would be interesting to have the story focus on a different race then just a normal white family. Maybe we could have a African American take on this and see where it takes us.
Or, and this is my other idea, if we want to go in the other direction, why don't we keep the same setting and tone but have a "little men" version of the story. Knowing my luck, this is probably something that already exists, but I feel seeing a guys point of view when it comes to growing up is also just as important. Especially when men (back then anyway) are suppose to be looked at as stoic and gentlemen like (I think, could be wrong) during that time period while women were meant to be seen as classy and proper. There could be some stand outs, like maybe half of the men in the family are proper while the other have are just know to go wild and crazy and not follow the rules at all. I think seeing different views in this way too would reach out to a lot more people.

Side note, if there is an animated film of "little women" somewhere in the world, I would love to see what that looks like. That's what I would do if I could put the story to film.

2/16/2021 06:51:12 pm

I think Little Women holds up extremely well in 2021;however, it is clear that if it had been written today, many elements of the story would be different. Many people have already pointed out that Jo’s sexuality would be addressed very differently, and I agree. In a modern version, I would think it would be more of a service to explore Jo’s own sexuality, and desire to break from the typical role as a female. Society has come a long way with women’s expectations to marry, have kids, and act lady-like, but these societal roles have not been completely erased. I think that Jo should have had the opportunity to find herself in New York, and explore her identity and relationship with sexuality. Many young adults struggle with their identity in regards to sexuality, and having a character like Jo showing a fluidity to her sexuality would make the novel feel much more relevant and close to home. I do not think this should end with marriage, but luckily, in modern times it is possible to have a romantically satisfying ending without it causing a character to compromise with their own independence. I also think Beth’s character could be adapted in a way that explores dealing with chronic illness. Today, scarlet fever is not a relevant issue, but chronically ill/disabled people, and their oppression is more relevant than ever. I think highlighting this would draw attention to this issue, and make people dealing with health issues feel less alone. I think the grieving process and each family member grappling with Beth’s death is still a very important aspect of the book, and many families are often affected by grief. I think that in general the book could have more diversity to it, since all of the characters in it are white. Even though at the time just having a women-focused story was seen as a big deal, today as a story it would resonate with much more people if there were more ethnic diversity.

Alex Mitchell

3/10/2021 12:49:51 pm

I like these modifications of Little Women that you have laid out in this short synopsis. I agree, Jo's character should have had the opportunity to explore her identity rather than marrying so quickly. I was disappointed at the end of the novel, I wanted to see Jo break free from society's expectations regarding women. I think perhaps the version you've come up with would leave a better, more empowering, message for young readers and girls especially.

2/16/2021 08:31:25 pm

If I were to have the opportunity of updating little women in 2021, I would have to begin by closely examining my life and the experiences that I’ve accumulated in order to form a realistic plot. Considering that one of the underlying themes of the story is self-improvement, I would think about the lessons I’ve learned throughout my life, and how they could be interpreted into the plot of Little Women. It’s apparent that modern society is vastly different from the world that Louisa Alcott lived in, and modernizing the issues that the March girls have experienced will likely be something similar to “culture shock” because of how completely different the two issues would be. I strongly feel that the whole plot of the storyline would be completely altered when modernizing the text because society in 1868 was incomparable to modern times. For example, the implementation of technology has severely skewed the “traditional” growth of a young adult. The March sisters have lived a humbled and adventurous life that almost contradicts the experience of teenagers around the world today. It’s no surprise that the modern adolescent lifestyle basically revolves around technology, and I believe that technology would be a pivotal factor in modernizing the text itself. Teenagers today live life through a phone screen, an unimaginable concept in the 1800s. In the first part of the text, I would modernize it by having one or more of the sisters affected by cyberbullying, a prevalent issue in current time. Another factor that I would consider is the abundance of mental health issues in 2021 in comparison to Alcott’s perception. I believe that mental health is correlated with media exposure, and I would incorporate this into the text through the rise of Apple iPhones and how it’s features have affected the culture of teenage development.

2/17/2021 07:57:41 am

Little Women, in my humble opinion, addresses topics that are timeless and are still quite applicable to today. There is not much that I would want to update or change. Alcott’s depiction of the family unit as simultaneously somewhat dysfunctional yet united reminds readers that how we view family does not have to be black or what, good or bad. It is a grey area. As is so much of life. But within this time period, many things were forced into this polarization- especially women. You either married and became a good wife and mother, or you were a hapless spinster. Many YA novels have the underlying theme of choice, where the protagonist realizes that they don’t have to follow the old and set ways that came before them and they can make their own path. With hindsight, I think that would be the biggest change that I would make to the novel; Jo would not get married in the end. Throughout the novel, Jo’s feelings are quite clear about marriage, her identity, and her goals in life. She does not want to marry; she wants to be a writer and independent. This does not mean that she doesn’t want relationships, she has such strong friendships with her family and friends. But whether she was forced by her audience’s expectations at the time or her editors, as Tarr suggested in our article, or just by the expectations of the time, Alcott seemed to contradict herself and her themes with Jo’s marriage. This marriage gave the opposite message and seemed to sabotage Jo’s beliefs. As a child Jo was a tomboy and had very strong opinions about marriage, but her marriage seems to send the message that she grew out of that view. This makes her opinions about marriage and identity seem adolescent and childish.

Katy Bedig

2/17/2021 02:18:45 pm

One idea I have to modernize Little Women to a more contemporary novel based in the 21st century would be that the girls in the novel would have more agency and wouldn’t have to necessarily get married to have a good and fulfilling life. Meg could have still gotten married to John and had children and lived happily ever after, along with Jo marrying Bhaer. Or they could have gone on to follow their own interests and stayed unmarried. Amy and Laurie could have still gotten married but of their own volition instead of due to social pressure. Amy could live off Laurie’s money and be a stay at home mom and work on her art. What I think would be more fun, though, is they could become an Instagram family where they go out and travel the world. As for Beth, she has a few paths she could go down. The first one is she could have some sort of disability where she has a compromised immune system and die of the flu. The other option if we want her to still die of scarlet fever is to have her mom be an anti-vaxxer so she still dies of in the same way, but the others luckily don’t catch it. If we want her to live, Beth could go on to become a famous pianist, become the breadwinner, and help her family out of poverty. In the end though, despite all the changes their lives could have turned out the same way as in the original text. Another idea to modernize the book would be how they lose their money. A few thoughts I had would be either the dad as in the book loses his money to a bad investment or kind of like Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl where he still has his connections to people but no money. In a town near where I live, they would live on Belmont Hill, it is a mix of new and old money like the Marches and Laurie’s grandfather. They would be associated with money because of where they live but not actually have any money.

Maria Pestilli

2/18/2021 06:24:43 am

Hi Katy!
I really like the ideas you had for Beth. I feel like her Piano skills were a missed opportunity. It would be cool to see the least looked at sister to get the chance to be in the spotlight. I also agree that the girls need more agency in their lives. I also find it annoying that they have to get married to be important. I honestly did not understand why Jo got married she seemed to be doing just fine on her own. I don’t know how I feel about them being an Instagram family, but I feel like with some tweaking that idea could potentially work. I also like the idea of Mr. March losing his money because of bad investments. That is a very plausible way of losing money. Food for thought, he invested in Blockbuster…. enough said. Overall, Katy I like the ideas you came up with. Good job!

2/18/2021 06:19:00 am

I think the first thing I would do to update Little Women is to get rid of the huge age gaps for some of the relationships in the story. I found myself very uncomfortable with the relationship between Jo and Professor Bhaer, he was in a completely different life stage from Jo which is bound to cause issues because Jo is much younger, she also is not as experienced in life as him. I feel like I would be less uncomfortable with the relationship if Professor Bhaer were thirty instead of forty. I would also have Beth live; I know I am supposed to update the story for modern audiences but if I am to do this update then Beth will live. I also think it would be a good idea to add LGBTQ+ representation. Many young adult books from our time has a lot of LGBTQ+ representation but also people of color representation. I think I would have Beth live and fall in love with a girl. I think the relationships that are already present in the story are iconic and I don’t want to ruin them. I especially think that Laurie and Amy are a good couple. As for who Beth ends up with maybe she could fall for Grace Vaughn. Instead of Amy and Grace becoming friends at the picnic, Beth does. And then when Beth falls ill Grace comes to her side and helps nurse her back to health. Maybe Grace even pays for a Doctor for Beth to help her recover. Beth is quite sickly in the original text and I feel that there needs to be some sort of big change if she is to live. I would love to see her live on and play the piano more. I would also make Meg’s husband younger, it is not really said how old he is but he is always presented as a “Mr.”, he is also a tutor which insinuates he is a bit older than Meg. He is at least an adult when he meets her and I find their relationship uncomfortable, especially because he falls for her before she is of age. In a 2021 version of this story I would not have him fall for her until she was an adult. I would feel much more comfortable with that. I would also not change how the story is written, as in the way in which it was wrote. I did not find the story hard to read and I think modern readers would not have too hard of a time reading it. So, to wrap this up I would make Mr. Bhaer younger, have Beth live, have Beth end up with Grace, and lastly have Mr. Brooke fall for Meg when she is an adult.

3/10/2021 12:44:10 pm

If I were to update Little Women, I would like to play with the idea of gender roles. Obviously the role of women in society has evolved over time with women joining the workforce, taking on positions of power, etc. In the original version of Little Women, I saw the March girls as an early version of feminists-- especially Jo and even Amy. I would love to compose a version of Little Women in which Jo is the head of her very own publishing office, a successful author, and a mentor to bright children who don't have access to education. But, there would still be modern obstacles for Jo as a woman such as the wage gap, the struggle to be seen seriously by men in the field, etc. I don't think Jo should have married so quickly either because it kind of took away her chance to grow as a young individual. I would also make some changes to Beth's illness and maybe instead of having her die completely (because I can't still accept her death and refuse to), change it so that she can recover and live the life she deserves alongside her sisters. I might also consider taking the artistic liberty and make this updated version a Broadway play. I loved how the sisters would act out Jo's stories in the book and I think it would be interesting to take this classic, update it, and take it to the stage.

Little Women--the novel that started it all?

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