Jo’s “vortex” in “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott (post 10): It is something she falls into, seizes control of her mind, and provides divine inspiration.

In Part II, Chapter IV, “Literary Lessons,” a third-person narrator quotes Jo and describes her “vortex”:

“Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and ‘fall into a vortex,’ as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace…

“…her family…during these periods, kept their distance…

“…when the writing fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat safe and happy in an imaginary world, full of friends almost as real and dear to her as any in the flesh…The divine afflatus usually lasted a week or two, and then she emerged from her ‘vortex’ hungry, sleepy, cross, or despondent.

“She was just recovering from one of these attacks when she was prevailed upon to escort Miss Crocker to a lecture, and in return for her virtue was rewarded with a new idea” [writing thrillers for the money] (1, p. 211).

After publishing her first novel, Jo criticizes the critics: “Some make fun of it, some over-praise, and nearly all insist that I had a deep theory to expound, when I only wrote it for the pleasure and the money” (1, p. 217).

“Vortex” metaphor

Jo would “fall into a vortex,” which is a “writing fit,” “divine afflatus,” and “one of these attacks.” “Vortex” combines elements of falling into something, having a seizure, and divine inspiration. It is a state of mind she falls into (like a whirlpool), that takes control of her, and provides content that seems to her like it is not her own imagination, but comes from somewhere and someone else (divine inspiration).

Of course, not all her writing is a product of the vortex, per se. Her writing also includes “parts that were taken out of real life…and scenes that I made up out of my own silly head” (1, p. 217).

Question

Who or what takes control of Jo’s mind when it is seized from her in this pleasurable way? I will continue reading, and see if the novel has anything more to say about it.

1. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy [1868-69]. New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.