The Old Curiosity Shop, published in 1841, is a novel by Charles Dickens that tells the story of Little Nell Trent and her grandfather, who live in a curiosity shop in London. The plot revolves around the grandfather's addiction to gambling and his debts to the malicious moneylender Daniel Quilp. When the grandfather gambles away the shop, Nell and her grandfather are forced to flee, embarking on a journey through the countryside. Along the way, they encounter various characters, including the kind-hearted Kit Nubbles and the villainous Quilp, who relentlessly pursues them. The novel explores themes of family, virtue, and the contrasts between good and evil, youth and age, and innocence and corruption. The story is known for its sentimental portrayal of Little Nell's tragic fate and its vivid depiction of Victorian England's social and economic conditions[2][4][5].
First published in 1855, 'Leaves of Grass' is Walt Whitman's magnum opus and a cornerstone of American literature. The collection, which Whitman continued to revise and expand until his death, explores themes of identity, nature, democracy, and the human condition through free verse poetry. It is renowned for its innovative style and its celebration of the individual and the collective.
Published in 1852, 'Uncle Tom’s Cabin' is a seminal work by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicts the harsh realities of slavery in the United States. The novel follows the story of Uncle Tom, a dignified and religious enslaved man, and Eliza, a fugitive slave, among other characters. It highlights the cruelty and injustices of the slave system and the emotional toll on enslaved individuals and their families. The book was a massive success, selling over 300,000 copies in its first year and becoming the second-best-selling book of the 19th century after the Bible. It played a significant role in fueling the abolitionist cause and is credited with influencing public opinion on slavery[2][3][5].
Written by Louisa May Alcott, 'Little Women' is a semi-autobiographical novel that details the lives of the March sisters in 1860s Massachusetts. The story is loosely based on Alcott's own childhood and that of her three sisters. It explores themes of domesticity, work, and true love, and is known for its portrayal of the sisters' distinct personalities and their struggles with societal expectations. The novel follows their experiences with poverty, illness, and personal growth, and it has been praised for its realistic and empathetic depiction of family life and the challenges faced by women during that era.
Published in 1854, 'Walden; Or, Life in the Woods' is a series of 18 essays that reflect Thoreau's experiences living in a small cabin near Walden Pond from July 1845 to September 1847. The book is a personal declaration of independence, a social experiment, and a voyage of spiritual discovery. Thoreau details his life in the woods, discussing the construction of his cabin, his daily activities, and his philosophical reflections on economy, social relations, and the importance of living in harmony with nature. The work is considered a cornerstone of American literature and a foundational text in the Transcendentalist movement, emphasizing the benefits of a simplified lifestyle and the importance of individual freedom and self-reliance[2][4][5].
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel, credited with starting the new genre of young adult fiction. When Alcott (1832-88) wrote Little Women, she only did so as her publisher refused to publish her father's book otherwise and as she hoped it would make money. It made Alcott's fortune. This coming of age story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March, each overcoming their own moral flaws, has delighted generations of readers and was so popular from the start that Alcott wrote the second part in 1869 and further sequels and spin-offs in the coming years. Her work has inspired countless directors, composers and authors to make many reimagined versions ever since, with the sisters played by film actors such as Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson.
With
Bridget Bennett
Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds
Erin Forbes
Senior Lecturer in African American and U.S. Literature at the University of Bristol
And
Tom Wright
Reader in Rhetoric and Head of the Department of English Literature at the University of Sussex
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Louisa May Alcott (ed. Madeline B Stern), Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott (William Morrow & Co, 1997)
Kate Block, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado and Jane Smiley, March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women (Library of America, 2019)
Anne Boyd Rioux, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (W. W. Norton & Company, 2018)
Azelina Flint, The Matrilineal Heritage of Louisa May Alcott and Christina Rossetti (Routledge, 2021)
Robert Gross, The Transcendentalists and Their World (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022)
John Matteson, Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father (W. W. Norton & Company, 2007)
Bethany C. Morrow, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (St Martin’s Press, 2021)
Anne K. Phillips and Gregory Eiselein (eds.), Critical Insights: Louisa May Alcott (Grey House Publishing Inc, 2016)
Harriet Reisen, Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women (Picador, 2010)
Daniel Shealy (ed.), Little Women at 150 (University of Mississippi Press, 2022)
Elaine Showalter, A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx (Virago, 2009)
Simon Sleight and Shirleene Robinson (eds.), Children, Childhood and Youth in the British World (Palgrave, 2016), especially “The ‘Willful’ Girl in the Anglo-World: Sentimental Heroines and Wild Colonial Girls” by Hilary Emmett
Madeleine B. Stern, Louisa May Alcott: A Biography (first published 1950; Northeastern University Press, 1999)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
In Our Time 
