Why Friedrich Is Poor (Little Women Explained)
Niina Niskanen/ Little Women Podcast
Summary:
A deep dive into Louisa May Alcott´s views on wealth and the transcendentalist
thoughts on money. Why self-reliance is such an important aspect of Jo´s and
Friedrich´s relationship and why Amy does not want a lazy husband. Join the Little
Women podcast to get answers to all these questions.
There was a real-life Friedrich Bhaer. In fact, Louisa May Alcott wanted to marry him
and even start a school with him. This man appears in literal disguises in all of her
novels. He is Friedrich in Little Women, Mac in Rose in Bloom and David in Work and
many more. Henry and Louisa shared a deep friendship, was it more than friendship?
In Little Women Jo's and Friedrich's age gap is 16 years. It is the same age difference
as between Henry and Louisa.
You can Listen the Podcast here https://tinyurl.com/3vzyb4uz
Hello, Little Women fans around the world. I have wanted to discuss this topic for a
long time. What was Louisa's view on money? I think it is fair to say that she saw a
big difference in putting in the work and being born in a world where money was no
object, but also the ethical side of making money, which is what we will discuss in
this episode.
JK Rowling has a very controversial reputation these days, but I think the financial
success of the Harry Potter books in early 2000, can be compared to the success of
Little Women. There was a fuzz about this book and everybody was talking about it,
and suddenly, the poor author became a billionaire.
When it comes to Louisa, she never really liked Little Women. I think there are two
reasons for that. First, most people miss her points, one of them being that Little
Women was written when marriages were made because of economical reasons and
not because of love and Louisa May Alcott criticizes that and promotes marriages
based on love.
Second, she wrote about her love life. Knowing Louisa's thoughts about the real-life
Friedrich and the real-life Laurie, and the reasons why Louisa rejected the real-life
Laurie and then all these fans, from little girls to adult women, wrote to her and
asked her to rewrite the end of the book. I think that would make any person cross.
, We are entering another pandemic spring in 2021. A lot of businesses are struggling
financially. A lot of entrepreneurs are looking for new income streams. I believe this
is a very current topic. I have not come across one comprehensive study that would
handle Louisa´s views on money. The research for this episode I have done has
mainly come from Louisa´s journals and biographies.
This is the Little Women Podcast. Why Friedrich is poor.
One of the things that I come across over and over again when I have studied Little
Women, is that a lot of people don't understand why Louisa May Alcott decided to
marry Jo to a poor man. This question is often followed by mentions of Laurie´s
wealth. Even people who have written scripts for Little Women adaptations have
asked this question.
Which always manages to surprise me. When I read the book, it was always very
clear to me why Jo wanted to be with Fritz and why she rejected Laurie and the book
itself goes into great detail explaining this. What if I would tell you that Louisa
married Jo to a poor character who Jo loves and not the rich character who she is not
in love with? This is one of the most feminist aspects of Little Women.
Louisa May Alcott was born into the transcendentalist movement in New England.
Transcendentalism was a religious philosophical movement. It was based on German
philosophy. One of the main thesis of Transcendentalism was the importance of self-
reliance, the belief that a person should be able to take care of themselves and
other people.
Self-reliance is often rooted in the idea that no matter the circumstances that you
were born into, you can still make something of yourself and your life and leave a
mark on this world. One of Louisa´s favourite writers was the German poet, Goethe.
Goethe was born into great wealth, which eventually led him to challenge himself.
Being born as a rich man caused emptiness. Some readers might notice that this is
down to tee Laurie´s character. Goethe eventually found writing to be his calling,
and he recommended work as the best remedy for a broken heart. In Little Women,
when Laurie is in Vienna after he has been rejected by Jo and has been lectured by
Amy, he's writing an opera which would quote "harrow Jo´s soul and melt her heart"
But he just keeps seeing Jo in the most unflattering ways and soon Jo is replaced by
a beautiful ghost who looks a lot like Amy, and Laurie sees himself as a romantic
prince. I have seen about 14 Little Women adaptations, and this part of Laurie in
Vienna has never been adapted, which is a problem.
Niina Niskanen/ Little Women Podcast
Summary:
A deep dive into Louisa May Alcott´s views on wealth and the transcendentalist
thoughts on money. Why self-reliance is such an important aspect of Jo´s and
Friedrich´s relationship and why Amy does not want a lazy husband. Join the Little
Women podcast to get answers to all these questions.
There was a real-life Friedrich Bhaer. In fact, Louisa May Alcott wanted to marry him
and even start a school with him. This man appears in literal disguises in all of her
novels. He is Friedrich in Little Women, Mac in Rose in Bloom and David in Work and
many more. Henry and Louisa shared a deep friendship, was it more than friendship?
In Little Women Jo's and Friedrich's age gap is 16 years. It is the same age difference
as between Henry and Louisa.
You can Listen the Podcast here https://tinyurl.com/3vzyb4uz
Hello, Little Women fans around the world. I have wanted to discuss this topic for a
long time. What was Louisa's view on money? I think it is fair to say that she saw a
big difference in putting in the work and being born in a world where money was no
object, but also the ethical side of making money, which is what we will discuss in
this episode.
JK Rowling has a very controversial reputation these days, but I think the financial
success of the Harry Potter books in early 2000, can be compared to the success of
Little Women. There was a fuzz about this book and everybody was talking about it,
and suddenly, the poor author became a billionaire.
When it comes to Louisa, she never really liked Little Women. I think there are two
reasons for that. First, most people miss her points, one of them being that Little
Women was written when marriages were made because of economical reasons and
not because of love and Louisa May Alcott criticizes that and promotes marriages
based on love.
Second, she wrote about her love life. Knowing Louisa's thoughts about the real-life
Friedrich and the real-life Laurie, and the reasons why Louisa rejected the real-life
Laurie and then all these fans, from little girls to adult women, wrote to her and
asked her to rewrite the end of the book. I think that would make any person cross.
, We are entering another pandemic spring in 2021. A lot of businesses are struggling
financially. A lot of entrepreneurs are looking for new income streams. I believe this
is a very current topic. I have not come across one comprehensive study that would
handle Louisa´s views on money. The research for this episode I have done has
mainly come from Louisa´s journals and biographies.
This is the Little Women Podcast. Why Friedrich is poor.
One of the things that I come across over and over again when I have studied Little
Women, is that a lot of people don't understand why Louisa May Alcott decided to
marry Jo to a poor man. This question is often followed by mentions of Laurie´s
wealth. Even people who have written scripts for Little Women adaptations have
asked this question.
Which always manages to surprise me. When I read the book, it was always very
clear to me why Jo wanted to be with Fritz and why she rejected Laurie and the book
itself goes into great detail explaining this. What if I would tell you that Louisa
married Jo to a poor character who Jo loves and not the rich character who she is not
in love with? This is one of the most feminist aspects of Little Women.
Louisa May Alcott was born into the transcendentalist movement in New England.
Transcendentalism was a religious philosophical movement. It was based on German
philosophy. One of the main thesis of Transcendentalism was the importance of self-
reliance, the belief that a person should be able to take care of themselves and
other people.
Self-reliance is often rooted in the idea that no matter the circumstances that you
were born into, you can still make something of yourself and your life and leave a
mark on this world. One of Louisa´s favourite writers was the German poet, Goethe.
Goethe was born into great wealth, which eventually led him to challenge himself.
Being born as a rich man caused emptiness. Some readers might notice that this is
down to tee Laurie´s character. Goethe eventually found writing to be his calling,
and he recommended work as the best remedy for a broken heart. In Little Women,
when Laurie is in Vienna after he has been rejected by Jo and has been lectured by
Amy, he's writing an opera which would quote "harrow Jo´s soul and melt her heart"
But he just keeps seeing Jo in the most unflattering ways and soon Jo is replaced by
a beautiful ghost who looks a lot like Amy, and Laurie sees himself as a romantic
prince. I have seen about 14 Little Women adaptations, and this part of Laurie in
Vienna has never been adapted, which is a problem.
