Little Women

 

Louisa May Alcott published Little Women in 1868, three years after the end of the American Civil War. It sold well immediately, and has been continuously in print ever since. 

The first sentence reads, "'Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug." Are there any clues to the book's longevity in the first sentence?

The sentence contains a character, Jo, and implies someone to hear Jo's complaint. Jo has a worry – that there won't be any presents for Christmas. That's conflict: Jo wants presents and she fears she won't get them. 

What else do we know about Jo? She grumbles. She is willing to express herself. She is lying on a rug – while there may not be presents, her home has at least that much comfort. And who is more likely to receive presents and to lie upon the floor? Children. Jo is probably young. 

Youth could also explain her willingness to grumble, and her focus on presents as what makes Christmas its essential self. So we have a young person with a problem. It's not too dire – the lack of presents suggests some poverty, but the rug helps us see that she is probably not at risk of homelessness or starvation. There's enough tension to draw us in without scaring us too much. 

Many of the books that have been most loved by large numbers of people have been books for children or youth. Until recently, the marks of a book for children or young adults were: shorter length, simpler language, young main character, and world that was kinder than our own. More recently, books in these categories often have worse worlds than ours, and may run to many words. This sentence, with Jo's youth and her problem that is concerning but not life-threatening, fits the older form. 

One last point: Jo doesn't say outright that she wants presents. She argues instead that Christmas needs presents to be Christmas. It's an argument from someone who has learned that principles – such as what Christmas should be – are a better way to persuade than stating what she wants. In a very simple way, Jo is beginning to make her way in the world of words and ideas. She might be smart. That attracts young readers who want to be smart, too, especially girls. 

The first sentence of Little Women creates some tension and begins to build a character that young readers can connect to. 

Graphic design by Ken Silbert