HIS/WSP331: Women in American History

Paper #1: Due at the beginning of class on February 12

What does Little Women say about women's life experiences in the mid-19th-century U.S.? In thinking about this broad question, consider in particular both Welter's "Cult of True Womanhood" article and Smith-Rosenberg's work on the "Female World or Love and Ritual." In what ways are the ideas developed in these two articles at work in Little Women, and in what ways does the novel work against them? In developing your reading of the novel, and your analysis, feel free, of course, to incorporate anything else that we have read or discussed that you consider relevant. Keep in mind, too, the intersections of race, class, and gender that we have been discussing since the start of the semester.

As you construct your interpretation, remember to develop a clear argument that is supported by specific evidence from the readings, and to avoid simplistic arguments that reduce the novel to a simple illustration of a particular article—there's more at work here. Here are some questions you may want to use to focus your thinking (these are not meant to represent an exhaustive list of possibilities):

• What interpretations can you draw from the novel about issues like race, class and gender, and about their impacts on ideas of women's lives? [Here, remember that silence can at times be its own statement.]
• What do the representations of the March girls (as well as other characters) say about the historical issues that we've been discussing?
• In what ways do you think that Alcott can be regarded here as a reinforcer of mid-19th-century gender attitudes? Or, can her novel be regarded as subversive to those attitudes?

A good paper will be clearly written. It will be substantive (both in its use of the novel and in its use of other historical sources). It will present a persuasive case for an explicitly-stated thesis or argument. There is no "one right answer" that we are looking for! Be creative and original—but be sure that you also ground what you say in the variety of materials and insights available to you.

Remember that both MST and ESB are available to help you—so feel free to come see us as you work on this assignment. Also, be sure to look at the General Advice and Suggestions for Writing Papers that are both bound into your course Reader and available on the course website (by clicking here.

Back to HIS/WSP302 Paper Topics or U.S. Women's History Homepage.