louisa may alcott? Liz Smith? apocryphal?
Dear Quote Investigator: The following quotation is popular with book lovers, and it has appeared on posters, mugs, tote bags, plaques, bookmarks, and jewelry:
You are reading: She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain
He likes books too much and that has messed with his brain.
The phrase is attributed to the famous novelist Louisa May Alcott who wrote “Little Women”, but I have not been able to find it in any of her works. Could you determine the accuracy of this expression and ascription?
Researcher Quote: In 1873, Louisa May Alcott published the novel “Work: A Story of Experience,” and included a quote that was nearly identical to the previous sentence. alcott actually used the word “converted” instead of “confused”:[1] 1873, work: a history of experience by louisa may alcott, chapter 2 – servant, cites page 32 and 33, published by roberts brothers, boston, Massachusetts. (full view of google books) link
He likes books too much and that has messed with his brain.
the relevant definition of “confused” in the misquote is more familiar to modern readers than the definition of “converted” in the correct quote:[2]website: merriam-webster dictionary, entry title: spin (verb), website description: words and definitions from merriam-webster; leading provider of linguistic information. (accessed merriam-webster.com… continue reading[3] website: dictionary reference, entry title: turn (verb), website description: dictionary.com words and definitions, (accessed to dictionary.reference.com on Feb 17, 2015) link
turn: disturb or upset the mental balance of: upset, distract, disturb
qi conjectures that the expression under investigation was derived from the 1873 statement. the “confused” version came into circulation in 2007. this slightly inaccurate saying was more understandable and more humorous in the opinion of qi. quotes compete for distribution in the cultural realm of slogans, jingles, and verses. the modified statement had superior properties that facilitated its spread although the original quote also continued to circulate.
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selected quotes are shown below in chronological order.
The main character in Alcott’s 1873 novel “Work: A Story of Experience” was named Christie, and in chapter two she began working as a servant for mr. and mrs. stuart one night, christie fell asleep while reading by candlelight, and the consequences were dire:[4] 1873, work: a history of experience of louisa may alcott, chapter 2 – servant, cites page 31 and 32 , published by roberts brothers, boston, massachusetts. (full view of google books) link
a book had slipped from her hand and, in falling, had knocked the candle onto a chair beside her; Her long wick rested on a cotton dress hanging on the wall, and most of Christie’s wardrobe burned brightly.
the stuart couple returned home and saw smoke from the fire coming out of an attic window. Mr. Horatio Stuart ran inside and was able to put out the fire with water. when christie woke up, she saw mr. Stuart in full evening dress and couldn’t contain the incongruous laugh. Bold added to excerpts:[5] 1873, Work: A History of Experience by Louisa May Alcott, Chapter 2 – Servant, citation page 32 and 33, Published by Roberts Brothers, Boston, Massachusetts. (full view of google books) link
The comic trumped the tragic and, a little hysterical from the sudden alarm, christie burst out laughing, sealing her fate.
“Look at her! look at her! the lady yelled. stuart gesturing on her perch like she was about to fly. she has been in the wine, or has lost her mind. she must go, horatio, she must go! I can’t have my nerves shattered by such ghastly scenes. She likes books too much and that has messed with her brain.”
alcott did not use the word “addle” in the above passage; however, he did use it in another book called “jo’s boys, and how they turn out”, which was an 1886 sequel to “little men”:[6]1891 (copyright 1886), jo’s boys, and how they turn out : A sequel to “Little Men” by Louisa May Alcott, quoted on page 40, published by Roberts Brothers, Boston, Massachusetts. … continue reading
“if you shake your head so violently, you’ll confuse your brain, and I’d take care of them, if I were you,” ted began joking. .
the word “confuse” applied to mentality was in alcott’s writing vocabulary, and was semantically appropriate for the time and setting of the 1873 and 1886 novels. therefore, sensitivity to anachronism would not allow the misquote detection under investigation.
The quotation with “turned” has continued to circulate in recent decades. for example, syndicated gossip columnist liz smith published the saying in 1995 with credit to alcott:[7] september 15, 1995, chattanooga times free press, liz smith says by liz smith (syndicated column), d3 dating page, chattanooga, tennessee. (news bank access world news)
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“He likes books too much and it has messed with his brain,” wrote Louisa May Alcott.
in august 2007, a writer in a garden city, kansas newspaper saw the modified saying containing “confused” emblazoned on a sweatshirt, but there was no ascription:[8]August 22, 2007, telegram from garden city, section: comment, in the midst of the terrible August heat wave in kansas, a great report arrived from chile from debbie schiffelbein, the page number is not… keep reading
book t-shirts are sweatshirt t-shirts with messages like “who needs therapy? I have my book club. “Lead me not into temptation…especially in bookstores.” “He likes books too much and that has messed with his brain.” “I’m busy.” “Libropoly”. “shhh, reading.”
in october 2007, an english professor at trinity university in san antonio, texas, gave a speech on literature that was covered by the san antonio express-news. The “confused” version of the saying was attributed to Alcott by the professor or the reporter:[9]October 26, 2007, San Antonio Express-News, Section: Metro and State News, Trinity Professor Recounts Her Forever Passion for Reading by Steve bennett (express newsbook publisher), dating page 02b, san… continue reading
quoting louisa may alcott, grissom told a receptive crowd of about 100 people, “’you like books too much and they’ve messed up your brain’ now let’s see how my brain got messed up . ”
by 2012, the saying “confused” had been posted on the goodreads website. Interestingly, the entry pointed to Alcott’s “Work: A Story of Experience”. therefore, the reference was appropriate because the citation was not quite correct:[10]website: goodreads, article title: louisa may alcott > quotes > quotable quote, timestamp of first like: Mar 07, 2012 06:05 PM m., website description: goodreads is a great community for readers… continue reading
quotable quote “She likes books too much and they have messed with her brain.” louisa may alcott, work: an experience story
In conclusion, the citation in the 1873 quote is correct. The saying with “confused his brain” is entertaining but inaccurate.
image notes:cropped portrait of louisa may alcott via wikimedia commons. Composite image based on the cover of the book “work: a story of experience”. the title and the main illustration are displayed. the author’s name is omitted. scan of book cover is from archive.org via wikimedia commons.
(Many thanks to Carly Bornstein whose query led Qi to ask this question and conduct this exploration.)
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