Christopher Fahy Publishes Essay in New Book on Louisa May Alcott
CGS Senior Humanities Lecturer, Christopher Fahy, has contributed an essay in a recently published volume entitled Critical Insights: Louisa May Alcott. The work is written on 19th century American novelist, Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. The essays in this volume provide a closer look into Alcott’s beliefs and her popular works such as Little Men and Jo’s Boys. The book provides readers with a diverse insight into her literary accomplishments and skills as a renowned novelist. In reviewing the volume, the American Reference Books Annual added that “[t]his book deals more intimately with the author and is able to shine a spotlight on her other, less‐renowned works for a more complete portrait of her life and times.”
This volume is divided into three main sections, starting with Career, Life and Influence, Critical Contexts, and Critical Readings. The first section shares two essays discussing Alcott’s brief time as a Civil War nurse, her interest in Transcendentalism, and more. Writing for the Critical Readings section, Fahy begins by describing Alcott as a Transcendentalist and her unconventional standpoint on the concept of Genius. Fahy says the Transcendantalists describe Genius as an ecstatic state connected to the Divine; it can also be considered as a sexualized unconscious.
Fahy mentions another prominent American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, because like Alcott, Hawthorne is a notable Transcendentalist and shares similar views of Genius. “Both distrusted Genius…and developed strategies that would balance inspiration and morality,” Fahy states. Hawthorne and Alcott also stressed the significance of domesticity to their real lives and the characters in their works. They also expanded on how sin can eventually allow one to develop a “more virtuous life and a deeper, richer art,” according to Fahy.
Fahy’s essay within the volume provides insight into Alcott’s inspiration as an author and Transcendentalist. His analysis of Alcott’s work enables the audience to witness the impact of not only her influential books, but also her personal values and virtues. As members of CGS, we are proud of Christopher’s contribution in introducing readers to Alcott as an individual. Critical Insights: Louisa May Alcott is available online by the Salem Press.