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Throughout the history of television and film,
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countless adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
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have retold the tale for each generation.
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This coming-of-age classic about four sisters in Civil War-era Massachusetts
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has resonated with readers since 1868.
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Over the years, Little Women has been transformed in various ways,
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with each subsequent adaptation altering different aspects of how the story is told.
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Let's take a look at five screen adaptations of Little Women.
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This is Little Women, by the book.
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"$25? Where did you get this?"
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"My dear!" "Oh, it's mine, honestly."
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"I only sold what belonged to me."
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"Your hair!"
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Enormously popular with critics and audiences alike,
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the first sound film adaptation of Little Women was released in 1933.
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At the height of the Great Depression, audiences yearned for an escape to simpler times
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but also gravitated toward the film's portrayal of frugality and resilience of spirit.
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The movie opens with Mrs. March providing aid to the less fortunate,
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not unlike Alcott herself, who served as a volunteer nurse for the Union Army.
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This adaptation, however, avoids some of the harsher elements of the novel
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leaving out incidents like Amy burning Jo's manuscript or falling through ice.
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In fact, there is minimal friction shown between Jo and Amy,
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and no mention of Jo's struggle with her temper.
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Katharine Hepburn's theatrical, larger-than-life portrayal of Jo
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dominated the film and informed later characterizations of the role.
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Her exaggerated boyish manner, however, results in a marked contrast
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when she becomes wistful and soft-spoken after meeting Professor Bhaer.
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And unlike his description in the novel, the professor is a hesitant, quiet man
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who sounds vaguely Italian rather than German.
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"I have no courage to think that,
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but could I dare hope, I know I shouldn't make so free as to ask..."
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Because the majority of the film follows Jo's point of view,
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the other sisters oftentimes are relegated to the background.
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The progression of Jo and Laurie's relationship is accelerated,
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while Laurie and Amy's romance takes place entirely off-screen.
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Meg's character arc is limited to her courtship and marriage to John.
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"My John wouldn't marry for money any more than I would.
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I'm not afraid of being poor, and I know we shall be happy because John loves me and-
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I love him!"
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Although the film starts out establishing the theme of woman's capability and independence,
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it largely focuses on their home and family lives.
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By the 1930s, the right of women to earn a wage was being challenged
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due to the economic depression.
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This adaptation, like many other movies of the time,
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promoted the idea of women in the home,
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with marriage and motherhood as requisites for a happy ending.
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"Where did you get it?"
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"I didn't beg, borrow, or steal it.
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I only sold what belonged to me."
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"Jo!"
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"Your hair."
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In 1949, MGM sought to capitalize on Little Women's continuing popularity
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by remaking the RKO film in Technicolor.
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Alterations to the screenplay further advocated domesticity and
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consumerism in the aftermath of WWII.
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Audiences no longer wanted to be reminded of war or deprivation
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so the film caters to a nostalgia for a bygone era
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with rosy scenes of home and family life.
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With their opulent costumes, the actresses at times look more like fashion plates
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than girls experiencing genteel poverty.
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Scenes were added to make Meg appear even more affluent after marriage.
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Another deviation it takes from the novel
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is to change the birth order of the sisters so that Beth is the youngest.
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The majority of the scenes are patterned nearly word-for-word after the 1933 film.
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This included using the exact same lines, character actions, and musical score.
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At the end, Professor Bhaer brings Jo her published novel, now entitled My Beth.
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Originally, Jo achieves considerable literary success on her own,
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but here, as in the 1933 film, she loses her independence as a writer.
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"My friend published it, he has big hopes, he thinks--"
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"Oh, never mind what he thinks, did you like it?"
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Like many Hollywood period films at the time,
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the filmmakers emphasized the romance while staying in line with the Motion Picture Production Code.
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A visually stunning film, this adaptation captures something of the spirit of Little Women
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while presenting a highly romanticized view of the 1860s.
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"25! Can Aunt March spare this?"
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"I couldn't bear to ask her.
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I sold my hair."
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"Jo, how could you? Your one beauty."
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Considered by many to be the definitive adaptation of Little Women,
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the 1994 film conveys a sense of warmth and familiarity through an authentic depiction of the story.
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Although Jo is still very much the main character,
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the film further explores Meg, Beth, and Amy's storylines.
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Major plot events that were missing from the previous films are finally depicted on-screen.
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"Amy!"
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In this version, the role of Amy was shared by two actresses
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in order to realistically portray her as a 12-year-old and later a young woman.
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We see Amy and Laurie's romance play out on-screen,
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albeit in a condensed, dramatic manner.
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Professor Bhaer and Jo's friendship also receives more screen time and development.
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However, the film continues to depict the professor
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as being instrumental in Jo's career and the realization of her potential.
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In addition to featuring slightly modernized language,
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the script reflects feminist and transcendentalist undertones.
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Comments about philosophy and women's rights were used to reference Alcott's progressive views.
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"Laurie is a man, and as such,
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he may vote and hold property and pursue any profession he pleases.
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So he is not so easily demeaned."
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But what makes the 1994 adaptation truly memorable is its ability
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to illuminate the emotions, conflicts, and growth of the characters in Little Women.
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"What is this?"
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In 2017, the BBC broadcasted a three-part miniseries
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that offered a more serious look at Little Women.
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Geared toward a younger audience, this version contains
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occasional anachronistic expressions within the nineteenth-century dialogue.
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More time is dedicated toward developing each member of the March family individually.
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Mr. March gets a considerably larger role with scenes
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that mirror Alcott's own relationship with her father.
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Although Bronson Alcott encouraged his daughter's literary abilities,
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he often became so emotionally invested in his own ideologies
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that he was habitually out of work.
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"I've been working on my book for 20 years,
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and yes, it's starting to bear fruit."
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"That is a wonderful accomplishment, Father,
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and a luxury I'm not convinced I have."
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Marmee is less of an idealized mother figure,
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but a real person with her personal struggles.
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This is the first adaptation to include Marmee's confession about her quick temper.
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Amy is played by the same actress throughout the series,
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which makes her appear older from the beginning.
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Her childish actions come across as manipulative rather than immature.
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Brief moments from the novel were included,
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however, important dialogue and exposition were often left to the viewer's imagination.
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In the novel, Amy and Laurie's engagement is described as
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"having come about so naturally that no one could complain,"
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but as is often the case, the screenwriters seem to rush through this storyline.
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Instead, the adaptation focuses on playing down
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the chemistry between Jo and Laurie
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while amplifying Jo's connection with Professor Bhaer.
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All in all, the series includes most of the iconic scenes from the classic
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and adds in several new ones to help condense the story.
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The adaptation feels fast-paced,
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breezing through some plot points and lingering on others.
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The mature, melancholy tone of the production is juxtaposed
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with hopeful and radiant scenes for a contemporary take on Little Women.
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"$25 dollars?
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"It's not like Aunt March to be so generous." "I didn't go to Aunt March, I couldn't bear to."
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"Where'd you get the money?"
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"Well, I only sold what was my own."
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"Jo, your hair!
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"Your one beauty."
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Released in 2019, this film adaptation retells the story in non-chronological order,
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connecting moments from the past and present.
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Because the actors look fairly similar in both timelines,
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it can be confusing for viewers who are familiar with the plot.
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Beyond hinting at the story's autobiographical nature, the screenplay takes it a step further.
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For instance, the script includes lines from Alcott's journal
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and takes inspiration from real life.
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"I'd rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe."
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Although Alcott did not want to marry Jo off,
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she was pressured to do so to meet reader expectations.
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So too, the ending here is ambiguous.
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Other details about Louisa May Alcott's family were also written into the film,
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though not mentioned in the novel.
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The screenplay infuses the story with updated dialogue and a contemporary energy.
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The way that the characters look, move, and comport themselves is distinctly modern.
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Jo and Amy both give forceful monologues
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that comment on the role of women in society.
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"Well, I'm not a poet, I'm just a woman.
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And as a woman, there's no way for me to make my own money."
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This adaptation especially showcases a new perspective
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on Amy's motivations and character.
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The scene of Amy's reunion with Laurie is also the closest to the novel.
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The film's nonlinear narrative structure provides an unexpected twist
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on this frequently adapted story.
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This adaptation explores the themes woven into the subtext of Little Women
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while retaining its charm and emotional core.
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The growing list of literary and cinematic retellings,
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spin-offs, and sequels of Little Women,
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not to mention its appearance in audio dramas and on the stage,
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demonstrate its influence well beyond the written page.
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Writing gave Louisa May Alcott the opportunity to immortalize some aspects of her life
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in a style that was new and original.
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Since then, a significant number of writers have been impacted by Little Women.
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The novel's blend of realism and idealism
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has charmed and provoked readers for over 150 years,
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inspiring lively discussions over this story about family, love, perseverance,
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and the power of literature.
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Little Women is actually the first in a series of four books
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chronicling the lives of the March sisters.
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Most editions combine the first two volumes,
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the latter of which was written in less than a year.
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Let us know which adaptation of Little Women you love the most.
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Thanks for watching!