In the next section, ‘The Life of a Classic’, Rioux delves into the “afterlife” of Little Woman, its adaptations to stage (the first of an earlier date than I expected) and screen and how the novel made its way from being considered a book that all, including male adults, would read to being taught in classrooms to its marginalization as just a girls’ book and its banishment from classrooms, or even serious discussion, until new-wave feminists, driven by the unearthing of Alcott’s sensation fiction, “rediscovered” it. I also appreciated the discussion of the various illustrators the work has had, as well as a few examples of some of their art. I didn’t think I’d learn anything new in this section, but that was not the case at all. The first section, ‘The Making of a Classic’, gives a brief history of how and why Little Woman came to be and of its instant fame. (150 years! It’s hard to believe that a book I started loving as a child and that’s still relevant today was written that long ago.) Even if you’re not a Little Women aficionado, there’s a lot to learn here about societal, educational and cultural trends (just to name a few topics) of the past 150 years. This was a joy to read and I hated to see it end.
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