Louisa May Alcott | Biography, Childhood, Family, Books, Little Women, & Facts

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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/126002-004-C75277BE/Bronson-Alcott-home-Louisa-May-family-wood-1875.jpg" alt="Alcott family home" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-050-EC4DF54F/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/154971" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-004-510371DE/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg" alt="Louisa May Alcott: Little Women" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-050-C8121425/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/96524" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-004-2A9B5003/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg" alt="Louisa May Alcott" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76177-050-BD2A36F3/Louisa-May-Alcott.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/153476" 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-25T00:00:00CST" >Nov 25, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louisa-May-Alcott/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>November 29, 1832, <a href="/place/Germantown-Philadelphia">Germantown</a>, <a href="/place/Pennsylvania-state">Pennsylvania</a>, U.S.</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>March 6, 1888, <a href="/place/Boston">Boston</a>, <a href="/place/Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> (aged 55)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Works: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/A-Modern-Mephistopheles">“A Modern Mephistopheles”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/An-Old-Fashioned-Girl">“An Old-Fashioned Girl”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Aunt-Jos-Scrap-Bag">“Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Eight-Cousins">“Eight Cousins”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Jos-Boys">“Jo’s Boys”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Little-Men">“Little Men”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Little-Women-novel-by-Alcott">“Little Women”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Rose-in-Bloom">“Rose in Bloom”</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Family Members: </dt> <dd>father <a href="/biography/Bronson-Alcott">Bronson Alcott</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Louisa-May-Alcott"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What was Louisa May Alcott best known for?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Louisa May Alcott is most famous for her novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Little-Women-novel-by-Alcott\"><em>Little Women<\/em><\/a> (1868\u201369), an autobiographical text about a cheery family of modest means. She also submitted work regularly to <em>The Atlantic Monthly<\/em> and published several short stories and other novels for youth, but none were as successful as <em>Little Women<\/em>. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What was Louisa May Alcott\u2019s family like?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Louisa May Alcott\u2019s father, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Bronson-Alcott\">Bronson Alcott<\/a>, was a Transcendentalist educator who frequently entertained friends such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Henry-David-Thoreau\">Henry David Thoreau<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson\">Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/a>. His idealistic approach to life focused on spiritual growth and radical self-denial, which left his family in constant poverty. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How did Louisa May Alcott die?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Louisa May Alcott died of a stroke in 1888. Her health had been flagging for decades prior, however, and she wrote in her journal that she frequently suffered from exhaustion, headaches, nerve issues, and digestive pain. Some modern researchers have found her ailments later in life symptomatic of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/lupus-erythematosus\">lupus<\/a>." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What was Louisa May Alcott best known for?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Louisa May Alcott is most famous for her novel <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Women-novel-by-Alcott" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>Little Women</em></a> (1868–69), an autobiographical text about a cheery family of modest means. She also submitted work regularly to <em>The Atlantic Monthly</em> and published several short stories and other novels for youth, but none were as successful as <em>Little Women</em>. </p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What was Louisa May Alcott’s family like?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Louisa May Alcott’s father, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bronson-Alcott" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bronson Alcott</a>, was a Transcendentalist educator who frequently entertained friends such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-David-Thoreau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Henry David Thoreau</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ralph Waldo Emerson</a>. His idealistic approach to life focused on spiritual growth and radical self-denial, which left his family in constant poverty. </p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How did Louisa May Alcott die?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Louisa May Alcott died of a stroke in 1888. Her health had been flagging for decades prior, however, and she wrote in her journal that she frequently suffered from exhaustion, headaches, nerve issues, and digestive pain. Some modern researchers have found her ailments later in life symptomatic of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lupus-erythematosus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lupus</a>.</p></div></div></div></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref128817"></span>Louisa May Alcott</strong> (born November 29, 1832, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Germantown-Philadelphia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Germantown</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pennsylvania-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Pennsylvania</a>, U.S.—died March 6, 1888, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Boston" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Boston</a>, Massachusetts) was an American author known for her <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/childrens-literature" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">children’s books</a>, especially the classic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Women-novel-by-Alcott" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>Little Women</em></a> (1868–69).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="120599" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/126002-050-3C5096D3/Bronson-Alcott-home-Louisa-May-family-wood-1875.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/13467/120599"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/126002-050-3C5096D3/Bronson-Alcott-home-Louisa-May-family-wood-1875.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/126002-050-3C5096D3/Bronson-Alcott-home-Louisa-May-family-wood-1875.jpg?w=300" alt="Alcott family home" data-width="1600" data-height="1585" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/126002-050-3C5096D3/Bronson-Alcott-home-Louisa-May-family-wood-1875.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/120599">Alcott family home</a><span>The home of Bronson Alcott and his family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott, in Concord, Massachusetts, wood engraving, 1875. </span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">A daughter of the transcendentalist <span id="ref1045130"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bronson-Alcott" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bronson Alcott</a>, Louisa spent most of her life in Boston and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Concord-Massachusetts" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Concord</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Massachusetts</a>, where she grew up in the company of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ralph Waldo Emerson</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodore-Parker" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Theodore Parker</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-David-Thoreau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Henry David Thoreau</a>. Her education was largely under the direction of her father, for a time at his innovative Temple School in Boston and, later, at home. Alcott realized early that her father was too impractical to provide for his wife and four daughters; after the failure of Fruitlands, a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/utopia/Satirical-and-dystopian-works#ref284359" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">utopian community</a> that he had founded, Louisa Alcott’s lifelong concern for the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="welfare" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/welfare" data-type="EB">welfare</a> of her family began. She taught briefly, worked as a domestic, and finally began to write.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Alcott produced potboilers at first and many of her stories—notably those signed “A.M. Barnard”—were lurid and violent tales. The latter works are unusual in their depictions of women as strong, self-reliant, and imaginative. She volunteered as a nurse after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">American Civil War</a> began, but she contracted <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/typhoid-fever" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">typhoid</a> from unsanitary hospital conditions and was sent home. She was never completely well again. The publication of her letters in book form, <em>Hospital Sketches</em> (1863), brought her the first taste of fame.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/classic-childrens-books" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/68/170468-131-B4B775E5/Book-jacket-Eric-Carle-The-Very-Hungry-1969.jpg" alt="Book Jacket of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by American children's author illustrator Eric Carle (born 1929)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Classic Children’s Books Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="154971" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-050-EC4DF54F/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/13467/154971"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-050-EC4DF54F/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-050-EC4DF54F/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg?w=300" alt="Louisa May Alcott: Little Women" data-width="1082" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/126004-050-EC4DF54F/Dustcover-Louisa-May-Alcott-Little-Women-novel.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/154971">Louisa May Alcott: <em>Little Women</em></a><span>Front cover of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel <em>Little Women</em>.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="96524" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-050-C8121425/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/13467/96524"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-050-C8121425/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-050-C8121425/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg?w=300" alt="Louisa May Alcott" data-width="1365" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/76178-050-C8121425/Louisa-May-Alcott-Harpers-Weekly.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/96524">Louisa May Alcott</a><span>Louisa May Alcott, engraving from <em>Harper's Weekly</em>.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Alcott’s stories began to appear in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Atlantic-Monthly" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>The Atlantic Monthly</em></a> (later <em><span id="ref1289641"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Atlantic-Monthly" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The Atlantic</a></em>), and, because family needs were pressing, she wrote the autobiographical <em><span id="ref128818"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Women-novel-by-Alcott" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Little Women</a></em> (1868–69), which was an immediate success. Based on her recollections of her own childhood, <em>Little Women</em> describes the domestic adventures of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-England" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New England</a> family of modest means but optimistic outlook. The book traces the differing personalities and fortunes of four sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March) as they emerge from childhood and encounter the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="vicissitudes" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicissitudes" data-type="MW">vicissitudes</a> of employment, society, and marriage. <em>Little Women</em> created a realistic but wholesome picture of family life with which younger readers could easily identify. In 1869 Alcott was able to write in her journal: “Paid up all the debts…thank the Lord!” She followed <em>Little Women</em>’s success with two sequels, <em><span id="ref1289635"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Men" class="md-crosslink ">Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys</a></em> (1871) and <em><span id="ref1289636"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jos-Boys" class="md-crosslink ">Jo’s Boys and How They Turned Out</a></em> (1886). <em>Little Women</em> also inspired numerous movies, including the <span id="ref1289634"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Women-film-by-Cukor" class="md-crosslink ">1933 classic</a>, starring <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katharine-Hepburn" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Katharine Hepburn</a> as Jo, and <span id="ref1289640"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Greta-Gerwig" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Greta Gerwig</a>’s <span id="ref1289633"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Women-2019-film" class="md-crosslink ">2019 adaptation</a>. Alcott also wrote other domestic narratives drawn from her early experiences: <em><span id="ref1289637"></span>An Old-Fashioned Girl</em> (1870); <em><span id="ref1289632"></span>Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag</em>, 6 vol. (1872–82); <em><span id="ref1289639"></span>Eight Cousins</em> (1875); and <em><span id="ref1289638"></span>Rose in Bloom</em> (1876).</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Except for a European tour in 1870 and a few briefer trips to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>, she spent the last two decades of her life in Boston and Concord, caring for her mother, who died in 1877 after a lengthy illness, and her increasingly helpless father. Late in life she adopted her namesake, Louisa May Nieriker, daughter of her late sister, May. Her own health, never <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="robust" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/robust" data-type="MW">robust</a>, also declined, and she died in Boston two days after her father’s death.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="153476" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76177-050-BD2A36F3/Louisa-May-Alcott.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/13467/153476"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76177-050-BD2A36F3/Louisa-May-Alcott.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76177-050-BD2A36F3/Louisa-May-Alcott.jpg?w=300" alt="Louisa May Alcott" data-width="1243" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76177-050-BD2A36F3/Louisa-May-Alcott.jpg" data-href="/media/1/13467/153476">Louisa May Alcott</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Alcott’s books for younger readers have remained steadfastly popular, and the republication of some of her lesser-known works late in the 20th century aroused renewed critical interest in her adult fiction. <em><span id="ref128819"></span>A Modern Mephistopheles</em>, which was published pseudonymously in 1877 and republished in 1987, is a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Gothic-novel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gothic novel</a> about a failed poet who makes a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Faustian-bargain" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Faustian bargain</a> with his tempter. <em><span id="ref128820"></span>Work: A Story of Experience</em> (1873), based on Alcott’s own struggles, tells the story of a poor girl trying to support herself by a succession of menial jobs. The Gothic tales and thrillers that Alcott published pseudonymously between 1863 and 1869 were collected and republished as <em>Behind a Mask</em> (1975) and <em>Plots and Counterplots</em> (1976), and an unpublished Gothic novel written in 1866, <em>A Long Fatal Love Chase</em>, was published in 1995.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":13467,"pageLength":617,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Louisa May Alcott | Biography, Childhood, Family, Books, Little Women, & Facts | Britannica