The Stowe debate
Subtitle: rhetorical strategies in Uncle Tom's cabin
By: edited by Mason I. Lowance, Jr., Ellen E. Westbrook, R.C. De Prospo.
Contributors: Lowance, Mason I., 1938-; Westbrook, Ellen E., 1952-; De Prospo, R. C., 1949-
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Amherst
Language: eng
Number of pages: 318
Subjects: Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896.; Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896 -- Technique.; Rhetoric -- Social aspects -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; Political fiction, American -- History and criticism.; Didactic fiction, American -- History and criticism.; Narration (Rhetoric) -- History -- 19th century.; English language -- United States -- Rhetoric.; English language -- 19th century -- Rhetoric.; Uncle Tom (Fictitious character); Race relations in literature.; Slavery in literature.; Fiction -- Technique.; Southern States -- In literature.
Description: This collection of essays addresses the continuing controversy surrounding Uncle Tom's Cabin. On publication in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel sparked a national debate about the nature of slavery and the character of those who embraced it. Since then, critics have used the book to illuminate a host of issues dealing with race, gender, politics, and religion in antebellum America.

They have also argued about Stowe's rhetorical strategies and the literary conventions she appropriated to give her book such unique force.

The thirteen contributors to this volume enter these debates from a variety of critical perspectives. They address questions of language and ideology, the tradition of the sentimental novel, biblical influences, and the rhetoric of antislavery discourse. As much as they disagree on various points, they share a keen interest in the cultural work that texts can do and an appreciation of the enduring power of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-308) and index.