PREFACE Practice Quiz — Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: PREFACE
What text does the preface to Little Women consist of?
An adapted passage of verse from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, a seventeenth-century allegorical novel about living a Christian life.
What does the preface poem ask the "little Book" to do?
It asks the book to go forth, show its contents to readers who welcome it, and inspire them to become better pilgrims.
Who is the female character highlighted in the preface verse?
Mercy, a character from The Pilgrim's Progress who is praised for beginning her spiritual pilgrimage at a young age.
Why does Alcott choose a passage about Mercy rather than Christian from Bunyan's work?
To signal that her novel will center on the moral and spiritual journeys of young women rather than male adventurers.
What are the "young damsels" in the preface encouraged to do?
They are encouraged to learn from Mercy's example and to prize "the world which is to come," meaning to value spiritual growth and virtue.
What closing promise does the preface make about "little tripping maids"?
That even young girls may follow God along the same paths that saints have walked, affirming the spiritual dignity of ordinary young women.
What is the central motif that the preface establishes for the entire novel?
Pilgrimage as moral self-improvement, drawn from the allegorical tradition of The Pilgrim's Progress.
What dual purpose does the preface establish for Little Women?
To both entertain readers and to instruct them morally, as the verse asks the book to "entertain" while making readers choose to be better pilgrims.
How does the preface elevate women's domestic lives?
By framing the struggles of "little tripping maids" within the grand tradition of Christian allegory, it asserts that women's everyday experiences carry deep spiritual significance.
What literary device is used when the poem speaks directly to the "little Book"?
Apostrophe, a literary device in which the speaker addresses an absent or nonhuman entity directly.
What is the function of the preface as a literary device within the novel's structure?
It serves as an epigraph, setting the thematic tone for the entire novel before the narrative begins.
What type of literary allusion does the preface create?
An intertextual allusion to The Pilgrim's Progress, linking the March sisters' domestic story to the tradition of Christian allegory.
What does the word "adapted" before "from John Bunyan" indicate?
It signals that Alcott deliberately reshaped Bunyan's original text to suit her own purposes, focusing on female characters and youthful moral development.
What does the word "pilgrims" mean in the context of the preface?
People undertaking a spiritual journey toward virtue and moral improvement, not just physical travelers to a holy place.
What does "pilgrimage" mean in the preface?
A long journey of spiritual or moral growth, used here as a metaphor for the process of becoming a better person.
What does "damsels" mean in the preface?
An archaic term for young unmarried women or maidens, used here to refer to the young female readers and characters the novel addresses.
How does the preface connect to Chapter 1 of Little Women?
In Chapter 1, Marmee suggests the March sisters play their childhood "Pilgrim's Progress" game, directly echoing the preface's allegorical framework.
What personal faults will the four March sisters work to overcome, as foreshadowed by the preface's pilgrimage motif?
Meg's vanity, Jo's temper, Beth's timidity, and Amy's selfishness—each girl undertakes her own moral pilgrimage throughout the novel.
What does the line "What thou dost keep close shut up in thy breast" suggest about the book?
It suggests the book contains hidden wisdom and moral truths that will be revealed to receptive readers.
Who wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, the source of the preface verse?
John Bunyan, an English writer and Puritan preacher who published it in 1678.