Page Count: 48
Published on: June 17, 2004 (first published in 1996)
Published by: Entangled Teen
Genre(s): Classics, Mystery, Gothic, Feminist
Source: borrowed from Mallory
Source: borrowed from Mallory
Age Rating: adult
My Rating: 3 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
I yearned to go, and when I willed the way so on appeared; so careless of bonnetless head and cambric gown, I stretched my hands to him, saying boldly, "Play young Lochinvar, Guy; I am little and light; take me up before you and show me the sea.."He liked the daring feat, held out his hand, I stepped on his boot toe, sprang up, and away we went over the wide moor, where the sun shone in a cloudless heaven, the lark soared singing from the green grass at our feet, and the September wind blew freshly from the sea. As we paused on the upland slope, that gave us a free view of the country for miles, Guy dismounted, and standing with his arm about the saddle to steady me in my precarious seat, began to talk.
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Hey, guys!
I borrowed this short story from my friend Mallory. This is the only piece by Louisa May Alcott's that she has read and I had never read it, so of course I had to borrow it! I love LMA!
A Whisper in the Dark was an intriguing look into Alcott's darker prose. Like her character Jo (Little Women), Alcott wrote many "blood and thunder" stories in her earlier writing career for newspaper columns and magazines. Her earlier work often discussed rather dark and taboo subjects that the public often did not want to discuss. During this time, women were considered quite unhinged if they were to write openly. Many women were put into asylums and hospitals for exhibiting behaviors that were considered irregular or too masculine.
In this short story, the main character: a young girl is sent to live with her uncle and cousin. She finds out that she is to be betrothed to her cousin in the future. She hears that her uncle plans to take her fortune and squander it. She plans to lead both of the men on and ensure her financial standing. When her uncle does the unthinkable, she becomes terrified for her future and emotional. She is then put into a mental institution and labeled as hysterical, though her emotions were understandable.
In this short story, Alcott has managed to discuss the mistreatment of the female sex during the late 1800s and creatively display to the public of the horrors that women had to face when falsely imprisoned and hospitalized for standing up for what they believe in. I really enjoyed seeing Alcott's stance on these issues through her work. I've already known that I deeply admire her, but this just further solidified my opinion of her. She was a pioneer for women and writing women alike. I just love her so much. This wasn't my favorite of her work, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. She's a masterful writer.
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