In this presentation you will learn about some of the fundamental themes in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Alcott was a well-traveled transcendentalist and one of the models of Jo's husband was Alcott's favorite writer, the German poet Goethe. To listen little women podcast head over to youtube.com/littlewomenchannel. Little Women Podcast: Complete first series is now available as an audiobook: https://tinyurl.com/y7ds9nwz Say Hi on Social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastinglittlewomen Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/littlewomenchannel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@littlewomenpodcast KO-fi: https://ko-fi.com/littlewomenchannel Join Little Women Channel Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/j2h2u68f When you subscribe to the newsletter you will get Little Women articles directly to your inbox 2-3 a month. You will also get notified when new episodes appear. Love and Intimate scenes in Little Women Video essay: https://youtu.be/mzuK9xH54KQ #littlewomen #jomarch #friedrichbhaer ............. Here´s what listeners have said about the Little Women podcast: Melodie I love this podcast! The host knows more, digs deeper, and makes better connections than any other LMA/Little Women researcher I’ve seen. I would consider myself a big LMA/Little Women fan, and I’d say I know more about the two than the average person (or average fan even), but I always learn something new listening to this podcast. I’m the admin for “The Little Women Book Club” on Facebook, and our members all really love this podcast. If you’re an LMA/Little Women fan you will love it, too! rotten Tiger What a beautiful podcast! It’s so insightful and entertaining. It understands the characters perfectly (especially Laurie), I love it Jen As a long-time, die-hard Little Women fan, I LOVE this podcast! I stumbled upon it while doing research for a book series I was working on, and I am addicted! Niina is super knowledgeable in all things LW, from the book(s) to the movies and author Louisa May Alcott’s real life. I love that the discussions are based on the book and highlight the differences (sometimes controversial) between the original and newer adaptations. Highly recommended for anybody who loves getting lost in the world of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. Paola I love your Little Women content. Thank you for sharing all your studies and research! I read the book earlier this year for the first time and I fell in love with Jo and Fritz’s relationship. I’m so glad I binged listened to your podcast to further my love for them. It also kickstarted an obsession with LMA too, she’s such an interesting woman and moved around in so many circles. I can’t believe there are people that still don’t get Jo and Fritz. While reading I found it very obvious that Jo was falling for him even if Jo hadn’t realized it yet herself (I mean the girl didn’t shut up about his hands and how nice he is!).

1. Little Women Podcast, Sense of Longing
Little Women Podcast
Sense of Longing

2. What Is Sense Of Longing
“But after the boys were abed, he sat long before his
fire with the tired look on his face and the `Heimweh’,
or homesickness, lying heavy at his heart. Once, when
he remembered Jo as she sat with the little child in
her lap and that new softness in her face, he leaned
his head on his hands a minute, and then roamed
about the room, as if in search of something that he
could not find.

3. ●“It is not for me, I must not hope it now,” he said to
himself, with a sigh that was almost a groan. Then, as
if reproaching himself for the longing that he could
not repress, he went and kissed the two tousled heads
upon the pillow, took down his seldom-used
meerschaum, and opened his Plato.

4. He did his best and did it
manfully
But I don’t think he found
that a pair of rampant
boys, a pipe, or even the
divine Plato, were very
satisfactory substitutes for
wife and child at home”

5. Longing For The Foreign
Little Women has several references to German
romanticism and that was the literature closest to
Louisa´s heart. In German romanticism, the
“Heimwech” the homesickness comes in different
forms. There is the Heimwech, missing one´s
home/family/homeland.´Then there is Heimwech
nach dem Frende longing for the foreign.

6. There is myth connected to Jo that she is adventorous,
but she is not really like that in the novel. It is about
dreaming about far away lands more than actually
visiting them, at least not alone. In the first book
Laurie asks Jo to go to Washington with him, Jo is
tempted by the idea, but she sees that it wouldn´t do
good for neither of them. Jo likes the dream but not
the reality of it.
Not that adventorous, but definitely a
dreamer

7. Watch Full Video Essays at
youtube.com/@littlewomen
channel

8. Self-Obserd Assumptions
Her stories take place in faraway countries and her heroes
speak with accents and have exotic names. She assumes
right away that the aunts would take her to Europe, even
after she has blurted out loud that she hates French,
neither she has put much effort to study languages, which
would be quite important if she really wanted to go to
Europe with the aunts. Jo dreams about the foreign but if
she was abroad, especially with people like aunt March
who she had a difficult relationship Jo would be rather
homesick.

10. Sisters are better accepted
●Jo does´t fit well to Concord or to the traditional
female role. She is allowed to be herself in her home
but in the first book, she does compare herself to Meg
and in the second part to Amy. Jealousy she
sometimes feels is caused by the fact that her sisters
are better accepted in the Concord´s society.

11. Home Away From Home
In New York, she rather spends time with Friedrich than
goes to seek new acquaintances.
He never spoke of himself, and in a conversation with
Miss Norton divulged the pleasing fact. From her Jo
learned it, and liked it all the better because Mr. Bhaer
had never told it. She felt proud to know that he was an
honoured Professor in Berlin, though only a poor
language-master in America, and his homely, hard-
working life was much beautified by the spice of romance
which this discovery gave it.

12. He dreams about being a part a
family
Louisa May Alcott
travelled way more than
Jo did but she as well
always longed for home
and was devoted to her
family. In her diaries she
wrote how she envied her
sisters marriages, when
she saw them so happy.

13. He dreams about being a part a
family
Friedrich has Heimwech
and it is not just that he
misses Germany and
dreams about Jo and having
a family with her, but he
dreams about being a part a
family, he misses having a
home. As an immigrant,
Fritz is part of two worlds,
but the does not wholly
belong to either.

14. Home Away From Home
Jo is devoted to her family. She hates the idea of her family falling
apart. It is not only because Beth is dead that she is lonely, but Amy
and Laurie also are far away and Jo is lacking direction. The book
that she writes next is not about longing the foreign but it´s about
Beth, the book is about home (she took Friedrich´s advice and wrote
something that was not requested by the editors and it becomes her
first big hit). When Fritz comes to see Jo in Jo´s mind he is
automatically part of her family (how many years did they write
letters to each others 2-3?…I always wish that they would include
letter writing to the adaptations) Fritz is quite stunned how well the
Marches receive him, they make him feel at home right away. Even
with a chance of becoming rejected Fritz is working hard to build a
home and a future for Jo. He took a risk.

15. He dreams about being a part a
family
“What made you stay
away so long?” she asked
presently, finding it so
pleasant to ask
confidential questions and
get delightful answers that
she could not keep silent.

16. Friedrich Is Based On A Man
Alcott Wanted To Marry
“It was not easy, but I
could not find the heart to
take you from that so
happy home until I could
haf a prospect of one to
gif you, after much time,
perhaps and hard work.

17. Little Women Podcast
Little Women Podcast is an
ongoing series of video essays,
articles and podcast episodes that
examines the intersections in
Louisa May Alcott´s Little
Women.
Hosted by Alcott essayist Niina
Niskanen. Regular visits from
literal scholars and Little Women
fans. You can listen to Little
Women Podcast on YouTube,
Spotify, I Heart Radio and all other
major podcast platforms.