- Little
- Men
- is
- a
- novel
- by
- American
- author
- Louisa
- May
- Alcott.
- The
- novel
- reprises
- characters
- from
- Little
- Women
- and
- is
- considered
- by
- some
- the
- second
- book
- in
- an
- unofficial
- Little
- Women
- trilogy,
- which
- is
- completed
- with
- Alcott's
- 1886
- novel
- Jo's
- Boys,
- and
- How
- They
- Turned
- Out:
- A
- Sequel
- to
- "Little
- Men".
- It
- tells
- the
- story
- of
- Jo
- Bhaer
- and
- the
- children
- at
- Plumfield
- Estate
- School.
- It
- was
- inspired
- by
- the
- death
- of
- Alcott's
- brother-in-law,
- which
- reveals
- itself
- in
- one
- of
- the
- last
- chapters,
- when
- a
- beloved
- character
- from
- Little
- Women
- passes
- away.
- The
- book
- recounts
- six
- months
- in
- the
- life
- of
- the
- students
- at
- Plumfield,
- a
- school
- run
- by
- Professor
- Friedrich
- and
- Mrs.
- Josephine
- Bhaer.
- The
- idea
- of
- the
- school
- is
- first
- suggested
- at
- the
- very
- end
- of
- part
- two
- of
- Little
- Women,
- when
- Jo
- inherited
- the
- estate
- from
- her
- Aunt
- March.
- The
- story
- begins
- with
- the
- arrival
- of
- Nat
- Blake,
- a
- shy
- young
- orphan
- who
- used
- to
- earn
- a
- living
- playing
- the
- violin.
- We
- are
- introduced
- to
- the
- majority
- of
- the
- characters
- through
- his
- eyes.
- There
- are
- ten
- boys
- at
- the
- school
- already;
- Nat,
- and
- later
- his
- friend
- Dan,
- join
- them,
- and
- soon
- after
- Nan
- arrives
- as
- companion
- for
- Daisy,
- the
- only
- girl.
- Jo's
- sons
- Rob
- and
- Teddy
- are
- younger
- than
- the
- others
- and
- are
- not
- counted
- among
- the
- pupils,
- nor
- are
- the
- two
- girls,
- Daisy
- and
- Nancy.
- The
- school
- is
- not
- run
- on
- conventional
- lines.
- All
- the
- children
- have
- their
- own
- gardens
- and
- their
- own
- pets,
- and
- are
- encouraged
- to
- experiment
- with
- running
- businesses.
- Pillow
- fights
- are
- permitted
- on
- Saturdays,
- subject
- to
- a
- time
- limit.
- Children
- are
- treated
- as
- individuals,
- with
- a
- strong
- emphasis
- on
- gently
- molding
- their
- characters.
- Daisy
- Brooke,
- Meg's
- daughter,
- is
- at
- the
- school
- with
- her
- twin
- brother
- Demi,
- but
- is
- somewhat
- isolated
- with
- no
- other
- girls
- her
- age,
- until
- Nan's
- arrival.
- Nan
- is
- even
- more
- of
- a
- tomboy
- than
- Jo
- was
- as
- a
- child,
- while
- Daisy
- is
- interested
- mainly
- in
- dolls
- and
- in
- her
- own
- mini
- kitchen,
- purchased
- by
- Jo's
- brother-in-law, Laurie.
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