Viewing of the documentary film, followed by a discussion led by Dr. Bucher. Discussion topics will include viewers’ familiarity with Alcott’s work, how the film affected viewers’ previous impression of Alcott and mid-19th century America, key themes viewers discerned from the film and for which they might expect to hear more about in future programs in the series.
Approved for CE Credit
DVD cover image by Liane Brandon
Discussion of the biography led by Dr. Bucher. Discussion topics will include the impact of Alcott’s relationship with her parents on her life and work, Alcott’s attitude toward her fans and why and how she created both public and private personas, ways in which Alcott was and was not a “typical” nineteenth century figure.
Approved for CE Credit
Copies of Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
will be available for check-out at Memorial Library, Berry College,
and at the Rome Floyd County Public Library.
Cover used by arrangement with Henry Holt and Company LLC
Berry College Professor of History Dr. Jonathan Atkins will provide a contextual overview on abolitionism and the Civil War in Rome and Floyd County. Dr. Bucher will focus on Alcott’s fictionalized account of her time as an army nurse during the Civil War, Hospital Sketches; Alcott as an Abolitionist; and how her writing advanced social reform.
Approved for CE Credit
Read Hospital Sketches online at:
Image courtesy of Lousia May Alcott's Orchard House/LMA Memorial Association
Shorter University Archivist Rebecca Roberts will provide a contextual overview on women’s rights and woman suffrage activities in Rome and Floyd County (and particularly at Shorter University, founded in 1873 as the Cherokee Baptist Female College). Dr. Bucher will discuss Work: A Story of Experience, Alcott’s novel about women’s rights and responsibilities beyond the family.
Approved for CE Credit
Read How I Went Out to Service online:
Image courtesy of Lousia May Alcott's Orchard House/LMA Memorial Association
Dr. Bucher will provide both a contextual overview of Transcendentalism and a discussion of the effect of transcendentalist and utopian philosophy on Louisa May Alcott’s life and work, using her satire Transcendental Wild Oats as a focal point.
Approved for CE Credit
Read Transcendental Wild Oats online at:
Image courtesy of Fruitlands Museum
Berry College Professor of English, Rhetoric and Writing Dr. Lara Whelan will provide a contextual overview on the Gothic. Dr. Bucher will focus on Behind A Mask, or a Woman’s Power and the rediscovery of Alcott’s thrillers.
Approved for CE Credit
Read Behind a Mask online at: