(I know I don't usually post about chapters two days in a row, but I had such an overwhelming weekend that I missed doing posts for a bit, so I'm trying to catch up a little.)
What a sobering chapter this is! My goodness, Meg gets herself into some rather sad troubles, doesn't she? It made me think back to my first year as a married woman, and some of the downright absurd disagreements we had as we slowly figured out how this whole marriage thing was going to work.
Also, boom! Out of the blue, they have babies! Twins! Isn't that last page or two kind of odd? Alcott alludes to Meg getting a new experience, "the deepest and tenderest of a woman's life" (p. 255), which I kind of thought meant pregnancy, but the whole 9 months gets dispatched with a comic scene in which they surprise Laurie with the fact that she's had twins. Was that whole section just kind of oddly put together, or is it just me? Oh, isn't giving birth jolly, let's let Laurie name the babies, and tra-la-la, we'll all clown around a while. Hmm.
Favorite Lines:
They were very happy, even after they discovered that they couldn't live on love alone (p. 245).
She put it away, but it haunted her, not delightfully as a new dress should, but dreadfully like the ghost of a folly that was not easily laid (p. 253).
Possible Discussion Questions:
Alcott says that "Meg didn't like to be pitied and made to feel poor" (p. 252). How is being made to feel poor (or ugly, or boring, or untalented, or any other undesirable thing) worse than the simple fact of being it?
In which Jo discovers she has a talent for writing sensational fiction and can earn pretty hefty chunks of money with it. Hurrah for Jo! She works up the courage to submit a novel for publication, after pretty thoroughly "ruining" it by changing it to suit everyone, which amuses me. But then she gets it published anyway, which I find a bit convenient or over-happy or something. Maybe I'm just being curmudgeonly today, but after all the time Alcott spends discussing how Jo messes up the novel, and then it sells anyway? I"m happy for Jo, but kind of annoyed with Alcott, I guess.
I do love the description of Jo's writing cap, though, don't you? And how people could tell by what was going on with it whether or not she could be disturbed -- so amusing!
Favorite Lines:
...when the writing fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat safe and happy in an imaginary world, full of friends almost as real and dear to her as any in the flesh (p. 238).
Possible Discussion Questions:
What literary lessons do you think Jo has learned?
We know Alcott made some good money by writing sensational literature too. Do you think her father reacted like Mr. March, saying she could do better? Or does that feel more like Alcott looking back at her younger self and shaking her head?
Know what I think is awesome? That Alcott doesn't make her heroines great at everything they try. Even the activities they're passionate about don't come easily to them. And this whole chapter is a great example of that. Amy loves art, she wants desperately to make Art that Matters and is Important. And, well... she doesn't. She keeps trying, but she doesn't turn out to be magically imbued with innate artistic talent that, when she strikes upon the right medium, bursts forth in boundless glory and makes her famous and renowned and respected overnight.
And I find her trying and failing and still trying some more to be a whole lot more relate-able and inspiring, don't you?
Favorite Lines:
Charcoal portraits came next, and the entire family hung in a row, looking as wild and crocky as if just evoked from a coalbin (p. 230).
Mrs. March knew that experience was an excellent teacher, and when it was possible she left her children to learn alone the lessons which she would gladly have made easier, if they had not objected to taking advice as much as they did salts and senna (p. 232).
Possible Discussion Questions:
Were you shocked when only one girl showed up for Amy's party?
Alcott opens the chapter by remarking, "It takes people a long time to learn the difference between talent and genius" (p. 229). How would you describe the difference?
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| (From the 1978 version) |
Such a blissfully happy chapter! I love Meg's simple wedding -- I tried to have as simple a wedding as possible, myself. Why stress out over endless details and fluff that just take your attention off what's actually important that day?
And I also love that Meg doesn't hide away until she walks down the aisle. No superstitious "groom can't see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony" nonsense for her! None for me either. I declare, this chapter is making me fonder and fonder of Meg!
Favorite Lines:
So she made her wedding gown herself, sewing into it the tender hopes and innocent romances of a girlish heart (p. 223).
...laughter is ready when hearts are light (p. 226).
Possible Discussion Questions:
How long do you think Meg will keep returning to her family's home every single day, like she promises at the end of the chapter?
What was your favorite thing about Meg's wedding?
This book's subtitle is The Life and Times of the Real Rooster Cogburn, the Man who Inspired "True Grit," and as such, I'm afraid I found it disappointing. While Brett Cogburn does show that Charles Portis clearly did a lot of research into the history of Arkansas and the people, names, and places therein, I was never convinced that Brett Cogburn's ancestor Franklin "Rooster" Cogburn in any way directly inspired the one-eyed U.S. Marshal of True Grit fame. Franklin Cogburn was never a Marshal, had two good eyes, was only rarely called "Rooster," and never lived to be an old, fat man. What he did do was serve a prison sentence for moonshining and conspiring to kill a Marshal, then raise a family, turn preacher, and die of an illness at 45.
So as the story of a man who inspired Charles Portis' novel, this did not convince me.
However, as the well-researched, loving, and detailed history of a backwoods patch of Arkansas where moonshiners held enough sway to keep the Revenuers at bay for a long time, it's very interesting. Rambling, but interesting. I enjoyed reading it, I didn't feel like it was wasting my time, and I now have a firmer grasp of the history of this country's midsection in the 19th century.
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for language, alcohol use, and violence.
It's so nice to be back again, isn't it? I've enjoyed the week off (I finished three books!), but I'm glad to be reading about the Marches once more.
This chapter feels like Alcott is easing herself and us back into this family, reminding us of personalities and how various characters get along or don't. I'm particularly amused by Laurie's habit of bringing all kinds of not-useful inventions home for Meg and John's new home, earning himself a new nickname from Jo: Mr. Toodles.
Speaking of Jo, she'd steadfastly ignoring all romantic hints from Laurie. And Laurie's making plenty of hints, though he keeps them guarded. We who know who he winds up marrying can see a little romantic foreshadowing in his teasing compliments to Amy.
Isn't it nice that Mr. March has found people who appreciate him? He's back in his parish, but also attracting interesting people who find him inspirational or helpful. I love the description of him as "the household conscience, anchor, and comforter (p. 214)
Favorite Lines:
...the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them... (p. 217).
Possible Discussion Questions:
Do you think Jo's annoyance over Laurie cutting his hair is at all related to her own hair-cutting adventure?
It's Friday! It's time to draw the giveaway winners! So many reasons to celebrate. Drumroll please...
...and the winners are:
- Rose for the copy of Little Women
- Ekaterina for the copy of The Quiet Little Woman
Congratulations, both of you! Please check the email addresses you provided for a message from me asking for your mailing address :-)
Next chapter review gets posted tomorrow! Meanwhile, enjoy this picture of Louisa May Alcott reading, and follow her example.
