I'm not sure who, in all the grand expanse of time and space, will have the greater influence upon the hearts and minds of ensuing generations of blossoming young ladies. Alcott wrote 'Little Women' back in the aftermath of the civil war and it has endured as a classic novel and in a variety of modern movie/TV adaptations to the present day. Swift is everywhere, physically and audibly and electronically, you literally can't get away from her (love it or hate it) unless you go Amish. The pair doesn't have much in common, save as a potential voice and guide to present and future generations of girls deciding who and what they want to be when they grow up. And most modern gals are more than a little bold in proclaiming their favor, perhaps worship, of one far more than the other! The vision of what each poet, even be they prosy, casts upon the waters is a stark contrast of what it is to be a woman, in any age of the world.
I will be honest and upfront, I know little of either's history, character, or life and have certainly never met either! I have never liked Taylor Swift, even back in her country days when she was crying on her guitar, I dubbed her 'whiny teenager girl' and that opinion has not changed in two decades. All I know about her is her lyrics, the same for Alcott, I've read Little Women a few times and really tried to read Little Men but got bored and gave it up, and that's the extent of my expertise in either genre! What is it to be a woman (and no, we are not going to get into the gender debate here, though Jo in the book is mad she isn't a boy, so there you go!), now or ever? I don't believe Swift presents a reasonable version of womanhood, but rather basic, base humanity (sex or gender doesn't matter): what it is to be a basic, human individual in a self-obsessed culture. This is why she resonates with so many in this modern age: she speaks their language, she's preaching to the choir. The only difference is she's a mega-star, a modern god, and they aren't, but they could be, right? She gives them a perceived voice and a hope that they can be like her, a sort of modern Jesus.
Alcott presents a stark difference. Her novel is also very basically human, and she too focuses on the self, but in a starkly different way. While Swift elevates selfishness, personal feelings and opinions, and individual desires to the level of holy writ, Alcott presents us with a vision of those same traits controlled, conquered, subjected to the individual's will for the good of self and others. There is suffering and darkness in both visions, Swift vociferously fights against everything that says she can't be who and what she wants to be, Alcott gently teaches self-control, patience, discipline, forgiveness, mercy, grace, perseverance, and kindness. Swift is angry and bold, Alcott sad and gentle, but both are passionate in their view of womanhood and what they see as the true meaning and purpose of life and what, in the end, truly makes us happy.
In one of her songs, Swift scorns the 'Sarahs' and 'Elizabeths' of her day, who she claims sit in the pews judging her. This is just bad storytelling! Sarah, the wife of the Biblical Abraham, was pretty patient with her lot through many tragic and strange tales, and was barren for 90 years to boot. Elizabeth certainly deserves no such scorn, the mother of John the Baptist, she too childless most of her life and scorned by her neighbors because of it, but she likewise showed patience and endurance with her grievous lot. Swift utterly misses the simple fact that a true Sarah or Elizabeth would never scorn her as they themselves have been scorned, they might be grieved by her choices and apparent unhappiness with her life, but these gentle, patient, caring women would never judge her for it (this is not to say that there are not some who do and would, but that is not the nature of the women she chooses to mock). Rather, it is more likely Swift's own conscience or some deep inner voice that is uneasy with her choices and this uneasiness makes her want to mock that which is good, right, or traditional because it makes her unhappy to have such a standard. But should we throw out traditions and standards just because they make us unhappy or should we ask why we are unhappy and why the standard or tradition is there in the first place?
This is what Alcott does, she presents a family of four teenage daughters and their mother struggling with war, poverty, an absent father, personal suffering and tragedy, and their own personal hopes, wishes, and desires. Each daughter is an individual who grows, fails, struggles, and progresses through life, her choices impacting the lives of all those around her as well as her own self. This is also what Swift misses, in her world, she alone matters, but in reality and in Alcott's book, our personal actions and ideas impact others and the world we call home. It isn't just about my happiness, but rather for the good of others, and therein, at least so Alcott deeply implies, lies my own happiness as well.
In the book, the daughter Amy is rather selfish and vain, thinking only of her own wants and desires, completely blind to the sacrifice and suffering of others. As the book progresses, she learns some of these virtues, never perfectly but she is a happier and better creature because of it. Swift is much like poor Amy at the beginning of the book, but unlike the character, she has yet to progress beyond that meager starting point. Alcott's vision of true womanhood isn't about being happy or rich or popular or having a boyfriend but rather of truly loving those in your life, growing as an individual, working and sacrificing for the good of others as well as yourself, putting your own opinions, wants, and desires on the back burner to the needs and good of others and submitting humbly to reality and truth, persevering patiently when things don't go your way rather than berating the system. And these poor, overlooked, overworked little women discover true happiness. There is even a rich neighbor and a rich aunt, who look into this happy little nest and wonder at their own unhappiness when they have so much more stuff but so little real love.
Swift wants sacrificial love from others but doesn't understand that it is impossible to receive if one is not willing also to give it, for love can only be given away, it can never be demanded or forced, and the more you give, the more you have! She has all the influence of Jesus, but none of His love or teachings, but then He wasn't very popular with the Swifties of His own time either and their gospel hasn't changed, neither has His!
