COVE

 Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (1868-69), Published by Roberts Brothers, illustrated by Abigail May Alcott, Ex Libris Used Books. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women was published in two volumes across 1868 and 1869. The novel follows four Civil War era sisters--Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--as they come of age in New England. The opening line of the novel is a declaration from Jo that "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents" (Aclott 1). In the conversation that follows, the girls eventually come to the conclusion that they should purchase Christmas gifts for their mother when they go into town, as their father gave them an explicit instruction to "take special care of mother while he [is] gone" (Alcott 4) during the war. This conversation sets an immediate didactic tone for the novel; in a moment of distress, four children turn to the guidance of their elders on the way to best handle their problems. This didactic tone is further pressed by the novel's preface: an excerpt of The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, a story that will continue to be relevant as the book continues. Overall, the story is not exclusievly didactic, but there are still plenty of didactic moments, such as the one presented here.