Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, may have written more than her readers know, thanks to scholars who have made interesting discoveries.
Max Czapnick, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, believes he has discovered about 20 stories and poems written by Louisa May Alcott under her real name and pseudonyms, according to the Associated Press. That's what it means.
This text is believed to have been written in the late 1850s or early 1860s.
On this day in history, November 29, 1832, Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was born in Philadelphia.
One of the alleged pseudonyms is E. H. Gould, who is said to have written stories about Alcott's hometown of Concord, Massachusetts, and ghost stories similar to Charles Dickens' beloved novel A Christmas Carol. ing.
Max Czapnick, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, believes he may have discovered about 20 poems and stories written by classic American author Louisa May Alcott. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
According to the Associated Press, Czapnick also found a poem written by Alcott's alias, Flora Fairfield.
“I mean, she really likes it…she's a hustle,” Czapnick said during a visit to the American Antiquarian Society (a national research library for pre-20th century American history and culture) in Worcester, Massachusetts. She's published a lot,” she told The Associated Press.
While there, Czapnick also encountered the first edition of Little Women.
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The classic novel about the four March sisters was originally published in two parts between 1868 and 1869.
One of the pen names Alcott is said to have used is E. H. Gould, a writer who wrote a novel titled “The Phantom.” (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Chapnick discovered the additional stories while researching “spiritualism and seductionism,” according to the Associated Press.
“While scrolling through the American Antiquarian Society's digitized newspapers, he came across an article titled 'Phantom.' After seeing Gould's name at the end of the article, he initially thought it was Alcott's story. ” the news source continued.
Chapnick went back and found possible clues in the text, including Alcott's name, which appears in the story.
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She also noticed that it was written while she was publishing other novels and was featured in Olive Branch, a newspaper that had published Alcott's other works, Chapnick told the AP. told the news agency.
“Detective work is fun. Not knowing is fun in a way. If that makes sense, I want and don't want a definitive gun to exist.”
Chapnick reportedly discovered more novels written under the name Gould, but admits that “conclusive evidence” of Alcott's authorship is not conclusive.
“There's a lot of circumstantial evidence that this is probably her,” Chapnick said.
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“I don't think there's conclusive evidence either way yet. I'm interested in gathering more information.”
Czapnick contacted Gregory Eiselein, president of the Louis May Alcott Society, to share his suspicions.
Elizabeth Pope (photo left) and Mr. Czapnick discuss the writing of “E.H. Gould'' at the Antiquarian Book Society of America. Czapnick believes that Gould was a pen name used by classic American author Louisa May Alcott. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“During my more than 30-year career as a literary scholar, I have received a variety of inquiries, emails, and manuscripts proposing the discovery of new Louisa Alcott stories,” says Eiselein, a professor at Kansas State University. . , she shared with AP via email.
“Most of the time, they turn out to be less famous but known texts, or articles that have been republished under new titles in other newspapers or magazines,” Eiselein added.
Ms. Eiselein now believes that Ms. Czapnick has discovered a new story written by Alcott that sheds light on her early career.
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“What stands out to me is the impressive range and stylistic diversity of Alcott's early published work,” Eiselein said. “She wrote sentimental poetry, thrilling paranormal stories, reform-minded nonfiction, works for children, and works for adults.” It’s interesting to see how they use, experiment with, and transform literary formulas.”
The American Antiquarian Society is a national research library on pre-20th century American history and culture that is filled with works believed to have been written by Alcott. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Ann Phillips, another Olcott researcher at Kansas State University, said Czapnick's work provides “compelling evidence” that these are actually Alcott's works, according to the Associated Press. wrote.
This American author has been reviewed for decades by various scholars who have noted the unique voice of her writing and associated her style with the possibility of more pen names.
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It was not uncommon for women writers in the 19th century to use pen names.
Mr. Pope, curator of books and digital collections at the American Antiquarian Society, was photographed examining Louisa May Alcott's writings. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“Maybe she didn't want people to know that she was writing silly stories about sex and ghosts and things like that,” Chapnick said.
“I think she was smart,” he added. “She had a hunch that she was going to be a famous writer, and she was going to experiment, and she didn't want her experiments to get in the way of her future career. I wrote it under a pen name to protect my reputation. “
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Ms. Czapnick said she hopes the collection will help find more of Alcott's writing under other pseudonyms.
Czapnick believes he discovered additional writings by Louisa May Alcott by comparing her work with the poems and stories he discovered and analyzed for style and tone. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“Detective work is fun. Not knowing is fun in a way. I hope, and I don't want, that there will be a definitive gun, if that makes sense,” Chapnick continued. Ta.
“It would be great if we could know somehow, but it's also very interesting not to know.”
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