What parts are biography? What parts fiction?

[Jandybee]

The Alcott family was a pretty interesting family. Louisa's father, Bronson, was a Transendentalist who formed a commune, was a peaceful vegetarian, a progressive educator, and he hung out with folks like Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. Little Women is BASED on the family but is not an exact biography.

I am curious to know which parts are true and which are not. Does the character Laurie have any basis in reality? Were the girls friendly with a neighbor boy?

I have been googling LM and Bronson to get a history. Apparently Amy is modeled after May (an anagram!) who met and married a wealthy European while she was abroad. And in real life Louisa never married. But the Alcotts had so many interesting friends, I just wonder who Laurie and his father actually were.

[vin1391]

Come to think of it..I am curious too...I never thought of it that way...Maybe the characters were based on real life people but the situations were different.I don't know.

[susuboz]

Geraldine Brooks has written a book 'March' taking up the story of the father and Marmee, which I thought very well written. In her afterword Geraldine discusses her research into the Alcott family and this may address some of your queries.

[Elyse Liesl]

To my understanding, the character of Laurie was fictional, but the girls were all based on Alcott's sisters. Beth in particular was based on one of Alcott's sisters who died young.