Louisa May Alcott and the Female Fairy Tale (Form, Massachusetts)

When Louisa May Alcott wrote her first book, Flower Fables, at the age of sixteen, she had already discovered the form that would shape many of her fictions: the female-centered fairy tale. Her version of it, appearing repeatedly in her popular children's fictions, features a heroine, frequently orphaned, who either desires something or, less often, is wronged by a villain. Traveling forth to look for her desires, she is helped by a wise donor. The tales climax in difficult tasks or struggles with villains. Finally, the heroine triumphs, is transfigured, and is rewarded with marriage and sometimes a type of coronation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Zehr, Janet Susan

• Biography
• Literature, American

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8600357

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/69446