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Foreshadowing
Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
Little Women blends a few different genres, including the coming-of-age story (bildungsroman), children's/young adult literature, and romance. Volume I constitutes the coming-of-age of Jo March, whose emotional and physical maturation is closely followed throughout the narrative. Readers get to know her (and her sisters') dreams, ambitions, and first loves. The young women develop strong moral characters despite seemingly endless tribulations. These tribulations seem tiny compared to the dramatic events in novels like Jane Eyre or Great Expectations, but the events of Little Women are dramatic in the context of Alcott's recollection of her own childhood.
Volume II can be classified as romance, or more broadly, young adult literature. As the girls grow up, the story's emphasis changes from youth to adulthood, and a love triangle among Laurie, Professor Bhaer, and Jo takes center stage. However, the story comprises far more than social drama. It captures the arc of the March sisters' attempts to find themselves and express their talents in a world that expects them to be wives and mothers only. All of them get married, but they retain interests and passions beyond love. Jo in particular finds a suitable project in building a school for boys. From bildungsroman to romance, the combination of many genres gives this book wide appeal.
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