Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) and Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Abstract

Taking on writing about Harriet Beecher Stowe presents a formidable challenge. The sheer volume of material by her and about her make challenging the selection of just those points that show she was a literacy heroine. Moreover, Stowe’s best known book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (hereafter UTC) was published in 1852, well before the Modern period as defined here. However, Stowe clearly meets the criteria as a literacy heroine as demonstrated by her wide-ranging and successful writing career, and her creation of characters who frequently and vociferously offer specific support for reading in a book that was in the forefront of the American “reading revolution” according to Ben-Gurion University book historian Barbara Hochman. The book had a special showcase among the 7000 books in the Women’s Building at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, according to librarians Wayne Wiegand and Sarah Wadsworth (2010); it sold thousands of copies and was and still is part of the national conversation on racial issues. When Stowe died in 1896, UTC and many of her other books, stories, articles and other work were still in wide circulation, which shows her exemplary writing. Indirectly through that work, she served as a literacy sponsor in two ways: through her explicitly literate characters, and through the fact that the book encouraged extensive reading, discussion and critical thinking. This deft sponsorship coupled with her exemplary and prolific writing ensure her status as a heroine.