Uncle Tom's Cabin - Stowe, Harriet Beecher

. .

Résumé :
It is the best known book about American slavery, and was so incendiary upon its first publication in 1852 that it actually ignited the social flames that led to Civil War less than a decade later. What began as a series of sketches for the Cincinnati abolitionist newspaper The National Era scandalized the North, was banned in the South, and ultimately became the bestselling novel of the 19th century. Today, controversy over this melodramatic tale of the dignified slave Tom, the brutal plantation owner Simon Legree, and Stowe's other vividly drawn characters continues, as modern scholars debate the work's newly appreciated feminist undertones and others decry it as the source of enduring stereotypes about African Americans. As one of the most influential books in U.S. history, it deserves to be read by all students of literature and of the American story. American abolitionist and author HARRIET BEECHER STOWE (1811-1896) was born in Connecticut, daughter of a Congregationalist minister and sister to abolitionist theologian Henry Ward Beecher. She wrote more than two dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction.

Biographie:
Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 - July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. She came from the Beecher family, a famous religious family, and is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which depicts the harsh conditions for enslaved African Americans. The book reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and Great Britain, energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. Stowe wrote 30 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. She was influential for both her writings and her public stances and debates on social issues of the day. Uncle Tom's Cabin was published on March 20, 1852, by John P. Jewett with an initial print run of 5,000 copies. The goal of the book was to educate Northerners on the realistic horrors of the things that were happening in the South. The other purpose was to try to make people in the South feel more empathetic towards the people they were forcing into slavery. After the start of the Civil War, Stowe traveled to the capital, Washington, D.C., where she met President Abraham Lincoln on November 25, 1862. Stowe's daughter, Hattie, reported, It was a very droll time that we had at the White house I assure you... I will only say now that it was all very funny-and we were ready to explode with laughter all the while. Stowe's son later reported that Lincoln greeted her by saying, so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.

Sommaire:
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an American author and abolitionist, best known for her influential novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her writing played a significant role in shaping public opinion on slavery in the 19th century, highlighting its cruelty and injustice. Stowe's powerful storytelling and deep moral conviction helped fuel the abolitionist movement in the United States. Beyond Uncle Tom's Cabin, she wrote numerous other novels, essays, and articles that explored themes of social justice, family, and faith. Her legacy remains as a literary voice that contributed to the fight for equality and human rights...