Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, was published in 1868 and follows the lives, loves, and troubles of the four March sisters growing up during the American Civil War. 1 The novel is loosely based on the childhood experiences Alcott shared with her own sisters, Anna, May, and Elizabeth, who formed the core of the novel's main characters.2 The March sisters illustrate the difficulties of girls growing up in a world that nourishes certain expectations of the female sex; the story details the journeys the girls take as they become women in this world. Figures 1 and 2 in the appendix depict Orchard House, the base of the March family home, where the Alcotts lived. Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869; the books were written quickly, over several months, at the request of Alcott's publisher.3 Although skeptical of her ability to write a book for young girls, Alcott agreed to try. The first volume of the novel was published by Roberts Brothers, and the first printing of 2,000 copies quickly sold out; the company struggled to meet public demand for subsequent printings.4 Alcott delivered the manuscript of the second volume on January 1, 1869, just three months after the publication of the first part.5According to Sarah Elbert, a literary critic, the term "'Little Women' referred to the Dickensian sense: it represented the period in a young woman's life when childhood overlapped with female youth.6 Other opinions have suggested that the title was intended to illustrate the inferiority of women or to describe the lives of people who are “unimportant” in society7. Alcott created an entirely new form of literature in Little Women; she took elements of romantic children's fiction and combined them with...... middle of paper...... Ibid.21. Ibid.22. Unparalleled minds. Louisa May Alcott. Nancy Porter Productions, Inc. 2014. http://www.alcottfilm.com/louisa-may-alcott/ (accessed May 10, 2014).23. Ibid.24. Ibid.25. Ibid.BibliographyFlannery. Classics Retold: The Film and Television Adaptations of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. September 14, 2013. http://www.thereadventurer.com/-home/classics-retold-the-movie-and-television-adaptations-of-little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott (accessed May 10, 2013 ). 2014).Little Women. nd, nd http://americanliterature.com/author/louisa-may-alcott/book/little-women/summary (accessed May 10, 2014). Unrivaled Minds. Louisa May Alcott. Nancy Porter Productions, Inc. 2014. http://www.alcottfilm.com/louisa-may-alcott/ (accessed May 10, 2014). Wikipedia. Little women. May 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women (accessed May 10, 2014).