Eight Cousins facts for kids
Rose and her Aunts, frontispiece illustration in first edition
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| Author | Louisa May Alcott |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Roberts Brothers. |
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Publication date
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1875 |
| Pages | 290 |
| Followed by | Rose in Bloom |
Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill is a classic novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. It was first published in 1875. This book is part of the beloved Little Women series. It tells the story of Rose Campbell, a young girl who becomes an orphan after her father passes away.
Rose goes to live with her great aunts, who are important members of her wealthy family near Boston. Her life changes when her guardian, Uncle Alec, returns from his travels. Uncle Alec has new and different ideas about how to raise children. With his help, Rose becomes much happier and healthier. She also finds her place among her seven boy cousins and many other aunts and uncles. Along the way, she becomes good friends with Phebe, a young housemaid who works for her aunts.
Contents
About the Book
Eight Cousins first appeared in parts, called a serial, in magazines like Good Things and St. Nicholas between 1874 and 1875. It was the first time Louisa May Alcott had a full novel published in St. Nicholas magazine. The book was quite long, so Alcott decided to remove two chapters for the magazine version. These chapters were later put back when the story was published as a complete book.
The book version was released by Roberts Brothers in late 1875. It included drawings by different artists. Later editions also featured illustrations by Harriet Longstreet Price in 1927 and C. B. Falls in 1948. In 1934, Ethel H. Freeman even turned the book into a play!
Before Alcott even wrote the book, several publishing companies were very eager to publish it. Alcott mentioned that she enjoyed this attention, with different publishers wanting her "humble" stories. There was a small change in the book too. A character Rose didn't like was first named after someone Alcott knew as a child. But Alcott changed the name to Annabel Bliss to avoid any confusion or upset.
What Happens in the Story
The story begins with thirteen-year-old Rose Campbell. She is often sick and has just returned from boarding school after her father's death. Rose now lives with her great aunts, Aunt Plenty and Aunt Peace, at a place they call the "Aunt Hill." She has also inherited a lot of money. Aunt Plenty gives Rose many medicines because she thinks Rose is very delicate.
After a week, Rose meets and becomes friends with Phebe Moore, the housemaid. Rose feels so close to Phebe that she thinks of her like a sister. Rose tries to avoid her seven boy cousins, who are known as "the clan." Their names are Archie, Charlie, Mac, Steve, Will, Geordie, and Jamie. They are the sons of her other four aunts.
The next morning, Rose meets her uncle, Dr. Alec, who is also her new guardian. He immediately throws out all of Rose's medicines, saying he will take charge of her health. Later, Uncle Alec and the aunts discuss Rose's future. Aunt Jane believes Rose should stay in boarding school. Aunt Clara thinks Rose should go to a finishing school to prepare for society. Aunt Myra worries about Rose's health. Aunt Jessie agrees with Uncle Alec. He wants to improve Rose's health for a year before she decides where she wants to live. Rose wants to officially adopt Phebe as her sister, but she is too young to do so right away. One day, Uncle Alec tells Rose to run around the garden. He also tells her to loosen her tight belt so she can breathe more easily.
Rose and Uncle Alec take his boat to Uncle Mac's dock. There, they meet two gentlemen from China, Whang Lo and Fun See. Fun See shows Rose interesting things he brought from China. For Fourth of July, Uncle Alec, Rose, and the cousins go camping on a nearby island. Rose wants Phebe to experience the fun, so she leaves the camping trip early on the last day. She sends Phebe to the island and does Phebe's chores at home instead.
While camping, Mac studies outside all day and gets a sunstroke. After this, his eyes become very weak from reading too much. He has to stay in a dark room for a long time and cannot read. Rose helps him by reading aloud to him. The cousins sometimes bother Mac while he is resting. After Rose gently scolds them, they decide to be more helpful. To help Mac with his boredom, Uncle Alec sends Mac, Rose, Aunt Jessie, Jamie, and two friends to a mountain village called Cosey Corner. They stay with a kind woman named Mother Atkinson. Jamie and his friend join a group of neighborhood children called The Cosey Corner Light Infantry.
On Rose's fourteenth birthday, she falls off a horse while going to meet Uncle Alec and sprains her ankle. While her ankle heals, Mac and The Cosey Corner Light Infantry entertain her with fun skits.
At Uncle Alec's suggestion, Aunt Plenty teaches Rose how to bake bread. Aunt Peace teaches her how to sew. One afternoon, Rose finds Charlie and Archie smoking. She encourages them to stop. Then, Aunt Jessie has Will and Geordie burn their adventure novels, which were considered not good for them. Uncle Alec does not want Rose to become a professional doctor. However, he teaches her about the human body (physiology) so she can understand and take care of her own health. During the family Christmas dinner, Archie's father, Uncle Jem, arrives home after being away at sea for several years.
In February, Rose gets sick with pneumonia while waiting for Mac in the cold. When Charlie finds out, he scolds Mac. Feeling bad, Mac visits Rose in her room in the middle of the night and asks for her forgiveness, which she gives him. While still getting better, Rose helps Phebe with her schooling. Later, Archie and Charlie have an argument about Charlie's friends. Rose helps them solve it by encouraging both boys to say sorry.
Now, after living at the Aunt Hill with Uncle Alec for a year, Rose is free to choose where she wants to live. Because she has grown to love him and his ways, Rose chooses to stay with Uncle Alec.
Important Ideas in Eight Cousins
Learning and Staying Healthy
Many people who study Eight Cousins see Uncle Alec as a great example of Louisa May Alcott's ideas about how children should learn. He believes in a less traditional way of learning. Uncle Alec teaches Rose at home, focusing not just on school subjects but also on practical skills. These include how to manage a household and how to keep herself healthy. Louisa Alcott herself was taught in a similar way by her father, who had unique ideas about education.
Uncle Alec's teaching methods involve "active learning." This means students are involved in what they learn. For example, Rose and Alec visit Uncle Mac's warehouse. There, Rose learns about things like navigation (how to steer a ship), geography (places on Earth), grammar (rules of language), arithmetic (math), and even how to control her feelings. Rose and Phebe also help each other learn. Rose helps Phebe with reading, and Phebe helps Rose with math. This shows how learning can happen in many ways, not just from books.
In the first edition of Eight Cousins, Alcott wrote that Uncle Alec's ideas were meant to "amuse the young folks." However, in her private letters, she suggested that she truly wanted to propose new ways of educating children. Uncle Alec's methods were not completely new. Other children's books at the time talked about similar topics, and other people also suggested similar health practices.
In the past, some people believed that girls and women were naturally very delicate and often sick. Aunt Plenty, for example, gives Rose many medicines because of this old belief. But Uncle Alec, as a doctor, challenges this idea. He helps Rose become healthier by giving her good food like milk and oatmeal. He also gets rid of her unnecessary medicines and encourages her not to wear tight corsets, which were common at the time but could be harmful.
How Children are Raised
Eight Cousins also explores different ways that children can be raised at home. The aunts and uncles in the story each have their own ideas about what is best for Rose. For example, Aunt Jane believes in strict education and focuses a lot on her housework. Aunt Clara thinks childhood should be about preparing for fancy social events. Alcott, the author, doesn't agree with this view. Aunt Jessie believes children should learn to be selfless.
Uncle Alec's way of raising Rose includes focusing on her health and giving her a practical education. Rose choosing to stay with Uncle Alec at the end of the book shows that she prefers his methods of care.
In the book, fathers don't play a very big role. Uncle Alec acts like both a father and a mother figure to Rose. Alcott believed that men and women were equal. By creating a male character who takes on caring roles often seen as "motherly," she showed that these roles don't have to be tied to one gender. Rose's happiness at the end of the story is largely thanks to Uncle Alec's guidance.
Being Different and Fitting In
The book also looks at differences between people, like those based on their family's wealth or background. Rose tries to become friends with Phebe, even though Phebe is a housemaid and Rose is from a wealthy family. Rose later treats Phebe like a sister, showing kindness and helping her. Phebe, as part of the serving class, didn't get a formal education. Rose tries to help Phebe learn, which helps to lessen the differences between them. However, Uncle Alec later sends Phebe to a proper school. For Phebe, doing chores is a duty, but for Rose, chores become a fun activity.
At first, Rose feels different from her aunts and cousins. She has been kept away from her family for most of her life. So, she has to get used to the "Campbell culture." Rose is often linked to Chinese objects, like gifts Uncle Alec brings her from his travels. This might show how she feels a bit like an outsider, especially as a girl among many boy cousins. But through Uncle Alec's guidance, Rose changes from feeling like a stranger to becoming a happy and active part of the Campbell family.
