Well, I did finish "Little Women" yesterday. And (spoiler alert) I was astonished to find that BETH DOES NOT DIE! Her death is literally the one thing that I knew about that book going in, and it turns out to be completely fake news.* I'm sure I have believed it pretty much all my life. I have no idea where I got this impression. She does get very sick, and maybe I somehow extrapolated that to mean dying. Someone probably said something innocuous like "poor Beth" when I was a kid and I assumed from then on that she was a goner.
At any rate I am very impressed with all of my blog readers who no doubt knew this when I mentioned Beth's impending demise the other day and yet didn't spill the beans. I guess this shows the value of reading classics even when you think you know the plot.
And again, though it wasn't my favorite book, I can definitely see the appeal. Louisa May Alcott was quite forward-thinking for her time, sending a message that young women and girls have interior lives and more to look forward to than just marrying and having babies. I loved Jo, who kept pet rats in the attic and cut her long hair off, talking about how refreshingly light she felt with her "boy's cut." It must have been fairly revolutionary.
I spent most of the day on the couch reading, though I did some minor garden trimming, because the stuff that's not being eaten by slugs is growing like crazy. Then Olga and I went to the cemetery.
I don't think she enjoyed herself much, do you?
(When I showed Dave this picture, he likened her to the figures in ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, entombed and preserved in volcanic ash from Vesuvius. "She looks like in a thousand years she's going to be dug up like that. She's in one of those poses like you see in National Geographic.")
I also downloaded all the most recent footage from the garden cam. Here's a little video, mostly of foxes, including one caught in a rather indelicate moment at the very beginning.
At the very end, you'll see Olga chase a fox over the fence. That was yesterday morning -- we were sitting on the couch when suddenly she sat bold upright and ran to the back door. I looked out and saw a fox, and waited for it to go behind the shed, where they routinely go over the fence to get in and out of the garden. I then let her out, and she flew over the patio wall and through the flower bed barking. I didn't know she still had it in her!
You'll also see more cats. I am amazed (and dismayed) at the number of cats we have prowling around out there.
*Well, not completely fake news. A commenter pointed out that Beth DOES in fact die, but it's in Part Two of "Little Women," published separately as "Good Wives" and not included in the book I have.
(Top photo: A shop on our high street, taken from the upper deck of a bus.)
My goodness. You've really shaken my world with the news about Beth. I'm going to have to re-read everything now. Maybe Mathew doesn't die either and he and Marilla are still going strong in retirement? Maybe Huck doesn't decide going to hell is worth it after all? The foundations of my existence have shifted!
ReplyDeleteWell, blow me down with a lead weight. Are you trying to gaslight me? Making me not trust my memory of a book which I read, admittedly a long time ago?
ReplyDeleteBeth didn't die? She didn't die when - as a child - she had Scarlett fever. But she did die, eventually.
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Well,"Blow Me Down " I say. I'm sure that in the book I had in my childhood she definitely died. I remember being quite upset about it. Are you sure you have read an original copy?
ReplyDeleteIt must be nearly 70 years since I read Little Woman, but I always thought that one of them died!!
ReplyDeletePS According to Wikipedia Beth dies( a result of the scarlet fever) in " Part 2" Published separately in UK as " Good Wives"
ReplyDeleteBeth didn't die????!!! Oh wow. I read Little Women as a child and completely missed that !
ReplyDeleteFlower Gallery. I like the name.
ReplyDeleteOlga looks so happy on the grass. Age is forgotten.
Isn't that a cat Olga chased over the fence?
What version did you read?? Is there another version? I remember clearly reading "on the breast where Beth had drawn her first breath, she quietly drew her last" as her mother was holding her of course. She DOES die.
ReplyDeleteThank you Frances, Ursula and everyone -- that explains it. I only read Part One. I am not continuing with "Good Wives." I will amend my post!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: No, it was definitely a fox. The orange and white cat is a separate clip.
That death was re-enacted many times by my daughter and her friends, who replayed scenes from Little Women and Little House on the Prairie - often combined - for years. As Little Women had not been part of my reading canon and all I knew about Little House on the Prairie was snippets from the tv version with Little Joe from Bonanza suddenly appearing, I had no idea what these dressed up girls were actually doing, it was the word Little that made me think it's all harmless. In my motherly ignorance - and the relief that they were busy and not making a mess - I probably allowed traumatic events to shape their future outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteThe foxes are truly impressive.
I think many people would be confused by Beth not dying in the Part 1 (and not realizing it was only Part 1). Olga is full of surprises and that shot of Olga in the cemetery is brilliant. Dave’s take is perfect.
ReplyDeleteDave was right about Olga's pose!
ReplyDeleteIn the version I read she definitely died. Beth and little Nell, also Tiny Tim, exits warmly welcomed! Yes, I hate that Victorian melodrama, how did you guess?
ReplyDeleteI think Dave is spot on about Olga's pose. She validates those frozen in action shots of Pompeii.
I enjoy those little videos from your backyard camera. I'm always amazed at all of the animals cutting through as it seems your fencing would prevent that. I wonder where they live.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is filled with activity. The fox is large and healthy, much larger than those on my property. Olga is on alert and happily defending her territory. All your neighbors must have cats and they are exploring as well.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at the number of foxes🦊 you have wandering through your property! Is it just one or is it several? It is difficult to tell them apart!
ReplyDeleteOlga can definitely get a spurt of adrenaline occasionally!
OK -- there are multiple versions of Little Women -- the American version generally has Beth die and is the combo of two books -- the original and a sequel (which also includes Jo marrying Professor Baher, etc.) There's a good article on this here. https://bookriot.com/does-beth-die-in-little-women/ It looks like you read the original version that Alcott first wrote. (Yes, this shocked me so much that I had to google around about Beth's death!)
ReplyDeleteOlga reminds me of that chalk horse somewhere in southeast (I think) England on some big hill. I was looking up a tour (to Avebury, I think) and the bus stops by it for a photo op! I remember Rick Steves talking about it, too! And yes, divinely blissful!
Beth definitely dies.
ReplyDeleteLMA was most likely a lesbian woman. She never married.
been decades since I read Little Women and I too thought Beth died, which she does, but I never read the sequel.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised your garden is a magnet for foxes and cats. and how do dogs know what is going on outside when they are in the house resting or asleep. Minnie does it too, suddenly jumps up nd starts barking at some unseen interloper outside.
You have a lot of wildlife activity in your garden. I love how excited Olga was to chase that fox. Her little "hmmmph" at the end seems to sum up the experience with a sense of satisfaction. I love that photo of Olga and yes, Dave's description of it is perfect.
ReplyDeleteObviously you weren't the only one thinking Beth died.
Oh, by the way, I just finished Mr. Nobody and thought it was pretty good! The only thing I wondered about was the ending. How did they explain all of her injuries if they said Matthew committed suicide? That didn't quite make sense to me.
ReplyDeleteOlga can still run if she wants to. Excellent chase given. The new game camera is really good.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder how many of these misconceptions w live with for our whole life.
ReplyDeleteI do remember Beth dying, but probably because I read all the books. Olga does look like the dog at Pompeii!
ReplyDeleteDave is right!! It's been over 40 years since I went to Pompeii and saw the "ash preserved" dog still wearing its chain, but it made a huge impression on me. I'm glad Olga is alive and well in her happy pose!
ReplyDeleteI love that photo of Olga, splayed out in the grass. I had to chuckle when I saw your garden shed, my parents had an identical one for years.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thanks to everybody for helping me straighten out the Beth confusion! This was certainly an interesting odyssey.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I am so impressed that you remember the quote!
Ellen D: I have no idea where they live! I do wonder!
Marcia: I am not sure if it's the same fox or different ones. They ARE hard to tell apart.
Ms Moon: I have heard that speculation about Alcott.
Sharon: Yes, she definitely gave a little triumphant harrumph!
Ellen D: Yeah, kind of a loose end!
Thanks for all your comments, everyone, and forgive me not responding to them all! (I'm at work and it's a busy day!)