Personal Reflection

If I may speak honestly, when I first began the reading of Little Women I strongly disliked it. It was for reasons that I couldn’t quite justify fairly. The novel was just too…feminine. I couldn’t stand reading a chapter about Amy painting vases for the local fair. Or reading about Meg’s upkeep in her household for a whole chapter called, and I kid you not, “Chapter 28: Domestic Experiences”. Despite my dislike for the preaching of lady-like manners or how to make lobster salad, I grew to enjoy these insignificant trifles. Not because I wanted to become more of a woman, but because they led to the more important themes Alcott wanted to convey.

It wasn’t until the analysis aspect of the novel study that I took into consideration of the time period that Little Women was written in. It was then that I developed a deep respect for Louisa May Alcott and her bravery in creating a classic novel truly ahead of her time. This study of classic literature forced me to open my eyes as a reader to a deeper understanding of what the writer is portraying.

By exploring and examining Little Women through writing I became conscious of my superficiality of a reader. I was pressed to wade through the feminine “fluff” of the novel and to the core of it’s meaning. After the reading responses is when I got to this point of understanding. No matter how many reviews of the novel I read for inspiration and research, it was essential to communicate this through my own writing. It was also essential to have critical analysis on my own writing to improve. The comments posted periodically on the blog were very helpful in giving me direction in writing my apologia, which was really the pinnacle of the study.

Overall, this study has assisted me in becoming a more advanced writer, but has had more of an affect on what is obtained through reading. The CNS has pushed me to overcome my shallow view on novels. As Alcott once wrote, “conceit spoils the finest genius”. This quote pertains to my reading because if I am to continue to read only and truly for the entertainment aspects and not gain any insight and morals from a novel, then what is the point? As displayed in my apologia I believe the purpose of a classic novel is to keep the influence alive in the reader. Through this study I now fully understand this is the true power classic literature can have.