Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power

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A STIRRING Literary Classic by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT.
Behind a Mask by AMERICAN author LOUISA MAY ALCOTT is a novella-length work of literary fiction first published in 1866 in the UNITED STATES.THE SENSATIONAL classic story showcases the expert manipulations of a femme fatale, the governess Jean Muir who insinuates herself into the good graces of the Coventry family.
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'For several days Coventry was confined to his room, much against his will, though everyone did their best to lighten his irksome captivity. His mother petted him, Bella sang, Lucia read, Edward was devoted, and all the household, with one exception, were eager to serve the young master. Jean Muir never came near him, and Jean Muir alone seemed to possess the power of amusing him. He soon tired of the others, wanted something new; recalled the piquant character of the girl and took a fancy into his head that she would lighten his ennui.'Synopsis
The story belongs with many other thrillers and mysteries that Alcott published under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard. The story touches on themes of social class, acting and the struggle for agency. "Behind A Mask" is considered a masterpiece by Alcott in the genre of sensation fiction. The story is set during the Victorian era, at the Coventry Mansion. The family's hiring of a governess sets off a chain of events. Jean Muir, an actress masquerading as a governess, becomes Lady Coventry, in this twist on the classic plot of governess character. Title Details-Originally published in 1866Sensation fiction, Novella

Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) was an American novelist and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she also grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Alcott's family suffered financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used the pen name A. M. Barnard, under which she wrote novels for young adults. Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Hillside, later called the Wayside, in Concord, Massachusetts and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters. The novel was very well received and is still a popular children's novel today, filmed several times. Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She died in Boston on March 6, 1888.