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Uncle Tom's Cabin: Or, Life Among the Lowly | Harriet Beecher Stowe

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This is my 4th or 5th time reading this - I‘ve read his for quite a few History and English classes in college and grad school. What strikes me each time is Stowe‘s determination to plead with the reader to see the atrocities of slavery. She‘s writing for an audience who has no clue what slavery truly is - this is a abolitionist political piece - but she‘s also hoping to sway the minds of those who might be contemplating the validity of slavery ⬇️

Librarybelle ⬆️ in the American South. She uses direct address to really speak candidly with the reader and as #anomniscientnarrator , she guides the reader through the story of Tom and the ultimate denouement. Stowe is also very religious - she grew up in a religious family and married a preacher - so also stresses the Christian duty to help anyone. The enslaved are people too, she tries to impart. Overall, this is a moving piece of fiction tied to reality.⬇️ 10mo

Librarybelle ⬆️ There‘s so much more I can say about this important piece of literature from the American Civil War era. It was banned in the South, and Lincoln himself quipped to Stowe upon meeting her in the 1860s that she and her work started the war. For anyone who has read this for the first time, I strongly recommend pairing this with what are called the “slave narratives,” those works by formerly enslaved who tell their story. They‘re hard to read, ⬇️ 10mo

Librarybelle ⬆️ but of vital importance to cement the ideas presented in this novel with the true reality. Stowe does well skimming the surface, but she‘s a white woman writing of a world that is far from her own. I would especially recommend Frederick Douglass‘ autobiography and Harriet Jacob‘s autobiography, two works that I‘ve read a couple of times along with Uncle Tom‘s Cabin. There are many more narratives out there. Thanks for selecting this @TheAromaofBooks 10mo

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