By Susan Bailey | On July 10, 2017 | Updated July 22, 2026 | Comments (8)
Susan Bailey of Louisa May Alcott is My Passion introduces Literary Ladies readers to May Alcott Nieriker, the youngest sister of Louisa May Alcott (“Amy” in Little Women, the autobiographical but idealized version of the Alcott family’s life).
An immensely talented visual artist, May’s education was made possible by Louisa’s literary success.
While researching May and Ernest’s home in Meudon, France (see previous post), I had a chance to read May’s thoughts in her letters home from Caroline Ticknor’s book, May Alcott: A Memoir. Read More→
By Susan Bailey | On July 7, 2017 | Updated November 6, 2022 | Comments (0)
It’s interesting to ponder which of Louisa May Alcott’s core beliefs most motivated her feminism, and why she was so effective in imparting it.
My conclusion? Louisa’s feminism was based on autonomy – the right of every woman to be autonomous, the freedom for each woman to realize her true potential as a whole person.
And even as I write this, I reflect back on Sarah Elbert’s essay on Moods where she incorporated Louisa’s transcendental upbringing into the mix. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On July 3, 2017 | Updated December 17, 2024 | Comments (0)
Sometimes it’s best for an author to introduce his or her own story; sometimes it isn’t. Is it better to have a dispassionate eye trained on the story to unearth hidden meanings and perspectives, or is it the author who knows the tale best? Here is Edith Wharton’s own introduction to Ethan Frome, her 1911 classic short novel.
A reviewer from the time when the book was published observed of its spare language and brevity: ” It is so short, a long short story, and not one word can be skipped in the reading. It is such a complete and perfect piece of work that the reviewer can only say — read it.”
In her introduction, has Edith Wharton enlightened her readers, or complicated the haunting tale? An argument can be made for either side. Read More→
By Emily Midorikawa | On June 26, 2017 | Updated September 14, 2026 | Comments (0)
This musing on the literary friendship of British author George Eliot and her American contemporary Harriet Beecher Stowe is contributed by Emily Midorikawa, author of A Secret Sisterhood:The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Brontë, Eliot and Woolf.
Even before she found literary fame, Mary Ann Evans (1819 – 1880), better known by the pen name George Eliot, was firmly entrenched in a London social circle that was unconventional, intellectual, and predominantly male.
There was also the matter of her “living in sin” with critic and philosopher George Henry Lewes – a state that kept many “respectable ladies” away from her door. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On June 12, 2017 | Updated February 9, 2022 | Comments (0)
Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992), a self-identified “black lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” used her many talents as a writer to express ideas about intersecting oppressions, especially those faced by women.
As society moved toward the anti-war, feminist, and civil rights movements, especially in the 1970s, she explored more political themes in her poetry and essays. There are many reasons to love Audre Lorde and keep her legacy alive. Here are just a few: Read More→
Categories: 
Comments: