Abstract: Louisa May Alcott, as an American woman writer in the latter half of the nineteenth century, is famous for her warmly-received novel Little Women. In the form of domestic diary, the novel tells the growing-up experiences of the four March sisters. Set in a small town in New England during American Civil War in the mid-nineteenth century, Little Women impresses readers with the social changes and cultural traditions of the American society at that time. Based on the biography of Alcott, the cultural condition of New England in the mid-19th century, and modern literature critical theory, this thesis attempts to elaborate the significance of American cultural heritage and its embodiment in the novel, summarizes American historical and cultural heritage reflected in the novel, and points out the room for further research on this topic.

Key words: Little Women; Alcott; American cultural heritage

摘要：美国十九世纪后半期女作家露易莎·梅·奥尔科特以其长篇小说《小妇人》而一举成名.这部在形式上是家庭日志、在内容上讲述马奇家四姐妹成长的小说，以19世纪中叶美国内战时期的新英格兰小镇为背景，生动地体现出美国社会的变迁和文化传承，给读者留下了极为深刻的印象。本文围绕这一主题详细地论述了美国文化传统在作品中的具体表现及其意义，概括总结了《小妇人》中体现出的文化传统，并指出本课题有待进一步发展的空间。本文鉴于文化的重要意义从广义的文化角度对小说进行剖析，以奥尔科特的传记、19 世纪美国新英格兰地区的文化状况、现代和当代文学批评理论等为参考资料，发掘出19 世纪中期美国的历史积淀和文化传承在小说中的体现。

关键词：《小妇人》; 奥尔科特; 美国文化传统