Female Work Ethic in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Jo's Boys and An Old-Fashioned Girl

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Ženska radna etika u romanima Male žene, Dječaci gospođe Jo i Staromodna djevojka Louise May Alcott
• Author: Maja Ledinski
• Mentor: Jelena Šesnić (mentor)
• Committee member: Tihana Klepač (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Iva Polak (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-12-11, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of three popular children’s nineteenth-century novels written by Louisa May Alcott. One of the ideas that the author advocates for are women’s rights and the idea of a more inclusive educational system. Focusing on the concept of “female work ethic”, I show how Alcott approached this topic in the framework of children’s literature. Certain examples from the novels provide a better insight into the core of this discussion, and each novel was influenced by the historical circumstances that took place, which is why there is an evident difference between the older and the younger generation of
female characters in these novels. Besides the major topic of this paper, this analysis also touches upon other relatable notions of the 19th century, such as woman’s position in society, family life and relationships, etc. It is also worth mentioning influential messages that the author provides in her works, and to name just a few, Alcott for instance promotes the importance of family, labor in general, and inner values. Moreover, notions such as materialism, inclination towards money, fame and foreign fashions are condemned as undesirable traits in women. I also show how the author discusses the combination of older and modern values which her characters embody. Although the paper is dedicated to women’s labor, some minor parts of the discussion also tackle male characters whose role is instrumental for reinforcing certain arguments which concern female work ethic. I also discuss the introduction of new topics and concepts which Alcott included in her novels, and this refers to the new cultural concept called “tomboy” whose traits are presented in the characters of Jo and Nan, and it is also necessary to mention the idea of literary celebrity and the notion of privacy. Furthermore, these concepts enabled this paper to show the challenges and the complexities of women’s position in Victorian and postbellum America.

• Keywords: Louisa May Alcott; children’s literature; female work ethic; Victorian America; moral lessons
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:538533
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: Literature and Culture; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-12-12 18:33:46