A researcher has discovered about a dozen stories and poems believed to have been written by Louisa May Alcott under a previously unidentified pseudonym. She was known to have gone by several pseudonyms during her career, and E.H. Gould is the potential new moniker discovered by Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate in English at Northeastern University.
Little Women is one of my all-time favorite books and I was excited to see these new discoveries. The researcher mentions that he thinks there are even more stories out there like this that people will find in the future. Do you think Alcott could have more undiscovered works out there? https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/11/08/louisa-may-alcott-new-pseudonym/
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The discovery of new works by Louisa May Alcott under a previously unidentified pseudonym, E.H. Gould, is indeed fascinating for literary enthusiasts, especially fans of Alcott’s well-known works like “Little Women.” Alcott was known to use various pseudonyms throughout her career, so the idea of uncovering more hidden gems is not entirely surprising.
It’s certainly possible that there are more undiscovered works by Louisa May Alcott waiting to be found. Authors from the 19th century often wrote for a variety of publications under different names, and their works might not have been extensively cataloged or attributed accurately. As technology and research methods improve, scholars and researchers may continue to uncover forgotten or misattributed pieces by famous authors.
The discovery of these new works adds to the rich tapestry of literary history, providing insights into Alcott’s versatility and creativity. It also highlights the ongoing potential for finding hidden literary treasures from other authors of the past. As more archival materials are digitized and made accessible, there’s a good chance that additional works by well-known authors will be brought to light in the future.
What a wonderful find, thank you!
I firmly believe there could be more hidden gems waiting to be unearthed. Even in 2023, it’s not uncommon for professional authors to employ one or two pen names, and I can’t think of a single exception to this rule. Considering the historical context when Alcott, along with Bronte and Shelley, were writing, it was practically a requirement for women to adopt unisex or male names to write with.
IIRC, it’s widely accepted that Alcott was probably a trans man.
People fucking HATE the idea of trans people existing before 1997.
Really? It seems you might not be rightly encountering the wealth of information available or engaging with the best circles. The names Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P Johnson, and Lou Sullivan readily come to mind as three individuals who lived and made significant contributions well before the year 1997.
I’m saying there is a very strong pushback against the idea of culturally or historically significant figures who, based on their own writings and those of their contemporaries, may have had a gender identity which we today would recognize as similar to transgender although the language at the time may not have matched up precisely. The names you mentioned were individuals famous specifically for their gender identity and/or advocacy (not to mention that Marsha P Johnson did not self-identify as transgender). By all means, look at Alcott’s personal writings and come to your own conclusions but there can be no denying that the suggestion rankles people online.
Oh yes, I can certainly see that!
I had never even heard of the Alcott theory before today and I can already identify seven different arguments about it. Certainly a hot topic!
Certainly within the realm of possibility, but by no means “widely accepted.” She was non-conforming by her society’s gender standards, but in ways that don’t really map neatly to our own society’s definitions of gender. She may have been what we think of as trans, bisexual, or just a non-conformist straight woman–there isn’t really enough evidence to point at any of those conclusions definitively.
Wow! This is new information for me. Regardless of whether Alcott was indeed transgender or not, I had no previous knowledge of this theory. Thank you for sharing!
Weren’t there already some other ones from her… that were terrible?
Nah, they’re sensation stories, but they’re not terrible. She meant them to be pure entertainment, and that’s what they are. They’re melodramatic and a bit cheesy, like most 19th century sensation stories, but they’re a lot of fun. She knew how to handle a plot. One thing that’s interesting about them us that they’re so obviously her. If you’ve read a few of her books, you can’t miss her voice in them.
But some of them fall into the category of “so bad, they’re good!” Think Pauline’s Passion and Punishment or Behind a Mask. Reading about women villains is like a refreshing palate cleanser after the sometimes cloying morality in Little Women (which I still love. Don’t get me wrong).
Yeah her other pseudonyms are a lot of fast paced melodramatic gothic romance-y type stuff, stuff that would serialize or sell well and make money. Interesting to read for the history, not in my experience great literature. It does enrich all the conversations about Jo’s different types of writing in Little Women, though.
I read many of Alcott’s books as a child, and re-read many as an adult when I began working in the children’s department in a library. Wow, the books are SO moralizing and sometimes rather heavy - I can’t believe that I loved them as a 10 year old in the 60’s!
Recently I scored a pretty copy of Eight Cousins so I re-read that, and afterwards A Rose In Bloom on Project Gutenberg and again, I love the stories and agree with a lot of her sermons on women not wearing corsets, and boys not smoking, but there’s such a heavy moral tone to everything.
Everybody loves Little Women (including many who have only seen the movies) but my god, suffer through Jack and Jill. Or others.
So it’s wild that she wrote all the crazy melodramas! I’m hoping this new stuff is bodice rippers or another genre.
Rumor has it that, late in her career, she wrote quite a few techno-thrillers under the pen name “Tom Clancy”.
I assumed this was going to be one of the cases where they were found using statistical/Big Data analysis of a digital database - but no, this was achieved by manually combing through archives! I can’t believe how much work that must have been (and how many frustrating dead ends…). What dedication!
WAKE UP, FAM – NEW LOUISA MAY ALCOTT JUST DROPPED
Little Women is my absolute favorite! This is such an incredible find.
Still releasing work faster than George R. R. Martin…
In all seriousness, this is so awesome!