The Ball
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A ball is a formal dance party. Women wore fancy gowns and men wore formal suits, with bow tie and tails. Music was provided by live musicians, typically a quartet or similar small combination. Their "set list," or list of songs they would play that evening, was provided to the ladies attending in the form of a "dance card." Ladies could plan their dances by writing their partners name on the card next to the song to which they would dance together. Balls were generally lavish affairs that were held for hours, sometimes through to the following morning, in which case dinner would also be served.
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Balls were generally held on special occasions, as the St. Valentines Ball in the musical. They are still held in some fashion to this day. The Latin American tradition of a quinceañera and the American "sweet sixteen" party most resemble formal balls like the one depicted, as does the modern high school prom.
The Three Musketeers
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The Three Musketeers is a novel written by Alexandre Dumas first published in serial format in 1844. Set in the time of Louis XIII during his political tensions with his advisor Cardinal Richelieu, it is the story of a young man who leaves his humble village to join an elite legion of royal guards.
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“And now, gentlemen,” said d’Artagnan, without stopping to explain his conduct to Porthos, “All for one, one for all--that is our motto, is it not?”
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The motto of the Musketeers, "All for one and one for all," is adapted by Jo in the song "Five Forever" - "From this day on/It's all for one/and one for all for life/We'll live like musketeers/together we'll prevail/We'll be five for all forever from now on." Their group of five is the four March sisters and Laurie, who Jo says is now "the brother [they] never had."
Keats & Shelley
Kant & Hegel
John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley were two poets of the second generation of the Romantic Period.
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Romanticism focused on emotion and sensuality in its imagery, driven by a backlash against the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, when rational, scientific thought came to prominence.
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Shelley's views on non-violence and social justice were a major influence on Alcott teacher Henry David Thoroeau's Civil Disobedience. Keats's work, especially his odes, are still some of the most studied works in English literature.
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When Meg first meets Mr. John Brooke at the ball, he explains that while he himself is not a Romantic, he reads Keats and Shelley - first spoonerizing the names as "Sheets and Kelley" - a sign of his nervousness around Meg. This foreshadows their relationship later in the story.
vs.
Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel were German philosophers whose primary work was published in the late 18th century.
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In his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant argues that reason is the means by which experiences are translated into understanding. Hegel builds on this idea (rejecting aspects of it, in some cases) by saying that reason is what helps the mind and soul achieve its full potential.
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So while Keats and Shelley were strict romanticists, Kant and Hegel relied more on reason and rationality for their world views. These pairs show the difference between Brooke, a self-professed romantic and Bhaer, who "spent years reading Hegel and Kant." While Brook searches for meaning in romance, Bhaer searches for it in reason. This underscores Alcott's sentimentality toward Meg and may help explain that while Alcott herself never married, Jo marries Bhaer, a seemingly non-romantic "thinker."
Translation of select phrases from the text/songs:
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Guten tag! (GOO-ten TAHG) - German, "Good day!"
Viel gluck! (FEE-ehl GLOOGK) - German, "Lots of luck!"
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Tres beau (tray bho) - French, "Very beautiful"
Petit maison (peh-TEE may-ZHON) - French, "little house"
Mon amour (mohn ah-MOOR) - French, "my love"
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...the Weekly Volcano Press!
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Serialization was a common publication approach for longer narrative works in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the time there was no such thing as a paperback or pulp novel, and books were still considered luxury items owned by only those with higher financial and social status. In order to make longer stories more accessible to a wider audience (and to increase sales of monthly magazines), stories would be published in serial form, with a section published each month - the equivalent of episodic television or a miniseries today.
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Many famous works (like The Three Musketeers!) began as serial publications in magazines such as Harpers and The Atlantic Monthly.