Community, Work, and Egalitarianism in the Film Adaptations of Little Women
0
조회
0
다운로드
0
인용
0
참고문헌
키워드
초록
The tension between the overt and covert messages of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been essential to its enduring appeal. At times, it has served to teach girls to adapt society’s prescribed roles, while at others, it has been recognized as expressing dissatisfaction with the role of women and seeking alternatives. This study examines three film adaptations from different periods to trace how varying social norms have interpreted the themes of community, work, and egalitarian relationships in Little Women. The 1933 film primarily addresses the overt message of the family as a haven and diminishes Jo into a self-sacrificing woman. The 1944 film places feminist criticism at the forefront, with Marmee and Jo as critics of injustices faced by women, yet it still prioritizes a romantic ending. The 2019 film gives more attention to the covert messages by beginning with the second half, as the adult March sisters confront reality. The conclusion does not end with just a romantic resolution for Jo but also with the publication of her novel. Plumfield is envisioned as a place that encompasses not only the March sisters but also men and future generations. As Alcott’s vision of egalitarian relationships manifested through love and labor remains an unrealized societal ideal, future adaptations will continue to draw upon Alcott’s text.
Abstract
The tension between the overt and covert messages of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been essential to its enduring appeal. At times, it has served to teach girls to adapt society’s prescribed roles, while at others, it has been recognized as expressing dissatisfaction with the role of women and seeking alternatives. This study examines three film adaptations from different periods to trace how varying social norms have interpreted the themes of community, work, and egalitarian relationships in Little Women. The 1933 film primarily addresses the overt message of the family as a haven and diminishes Jo into a self-sacrificing woman. The 1944 film places feminist criticism at the forefront, with Marmee and Jo as critics of injustices faced by women, yet it still prioritizes a romantic ending. The 2019 film gives more attention to the covert messages by beginning with the second half, as the adult March sisters confront reality. The conclusion does not end with just a romantic resolution for Jo but also with the publication of her novel. Plumfield is envisioned as a place that encompasses not only the March sisters but also men and future generations. As Alcott’s vision of egalitarian relationships manifested through love and labor remains an unrealized societal ideal, future adaptations will continue to draw upon Alcott’s text.
참고문헌 (21)
- Auerbach, N., "Little women and the feminist imagination: Criticism, controversy, personal essays", pp.7~26 (2013), Routledge
- Armstrong, G., "Little women" (1994), Columbia Pictures
- Bedell, M., "Critical essays on Louisa May Alcott", pp.145~150 (1984), G.K. Hall
- "RKO Radio Pictures", 1933
- Elbert, S., "A hunger for home: Louisa May Alcott and Little women" (1984), Rutgers University Press
- "Little women screenplay" (2019)[URL]
- "Sony Pictures", 2019
- Fetterly, J., "Little women and the feminist imagination:Criticism, controversy, personal essays", pp.27~41 (2013), Routledge
- Hollander, A., "Little women and the feminist imagination: Criticism, controversy, personal essays", pp.97~101 (2013), Routledge
- Hollinger, K., "A feminist romance : Adapting Little Women to the screen", Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, 18(2), pp.173~192 (1999)
- Janeway, E., "Critical essays on Louisa May Alcott", pp.22~33 (1984), G.K. Hall
- Kellett, K., "Cukor's Little women and The Great Depression : Sacrifice, morality, and familial bliss", The Oswald Review, 9, pp.11~29 (2002)
- Keyser, E., "Little women: A family romance (Twayne's Masterwork Studies 170)" (1999), Twayne Publishers
- Langland, E., "The voyage in: Fictions of female development", pp.245~261 (1983), University Press of New England
- McCallum, R., "The present reshaping the past reshaping the present: Film versions of Little women", The Lion and the Unicorn, 24, pp.48~68 (2000)
- McIntyre, G., "Little women: The official movie companion" (2019), Abrams Books for Young Readers
- Murphy, A., "The borders of ethical, erotic, and artistic possibilities in Little Women", Signs, 15(3), pp.562~585 (1990)
- Sicherman, B., "Little women: Norton critical editions", pp.378~394 (2004), W.W. Norton &Company
- Showalter, E., "Little women", pp.7~22 (1989), Penguin Books
- "How Greta Gerwig revolutionized a literary classic"[URL]
- Young, E., "A wound of one’s own: Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War fiction", American Quarterly, 48(1), pp.77~90 (1996)