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DZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little Women

How can interweaving timelines elevate the emotional experience for the audience?

Legacy Episode — Migrated from our original site. Will take time to tidy up!

⏱ 2h 11m
31 MAY 2021

Show Notes

In our final part, part 3, of our Interweaving Timelines series, we — Chas, Stu & Mel — take a deep dive into Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women. In her adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s iconic novels, Greta chose to interweave the seperate timelines of Little Women and it’s sequel, Good Wives, to create a thematically and emotionally potent work. This differs from all the other adaptations, which have chosen to keep the chronological storytelling of the source material.

We compare Gerwig’s choices and their resulting effects with Gilliam Armstrong & Robin Swicord’s more faithful (and chronological) 1994 version. It’s almost like a scientific experiment!

Stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND!

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Jessie, Khrob and Sandra.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

Chapters

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction
  • 00:00:37 – ScriptUp Sponsorship
  • 00:02:00 – Little Women - 2019 vs 1994
  • 00:06:35 – 2019's Interweaving Timelines
  • 00:15:29 – Summarising the plot points
  • 00:31:39 – Initial contrasts with chronological telling
  • 00:35:32 – Laurie's Proposal
  • 00:54:10 – Amy and Laurie's courtship
  • 01:03:34 – Beth's Death
  • 01:26:44 – Book burning and ice skating
  • 01:36:51 – How the structure expresses theme
  • 01:44:06 – Key Learnings and Wrap Up
  • 01:59:02 – Backmatter

Episodes in the Interweaving Timelines series

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