LITTLE WOMEN: - is an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel
written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. It has been translated
into numerous languages, and frequently adapted for stage and screen.
The fictionalized account is said to be loosely based on the lives of
Alcott and her three sisters Originally published in two volumes, this
is a story that follows the lives of the four March sisters -- Meg, Jo,
Beth, and Amy -- and presents in detail their passage from childhood to
womanhood.
The plot of the novel revolves around four sisters and their mother,
Marmee who live in a new neighborhood. Meg and Jo must work to support
the family. Beth is content to stay at home and help with housework; and
Amy is still at school. Laurie, the neighbor boy, becomes close friends
with the sisters, particularly Jo. Little Women addresses three major
themes -- domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent
and necessary to the success of main protagonist's individual identity.