2. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852)
Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s 1852 novel came in at number two, and for Zimbabwean novelist
Tendai Huchu, “it is hard to think of any literary work today that could
ever have such an impact.” Jenny Bhatt, writer and Contributing Editor
at PopMatters calls it “the first widely-read political novel in the US”
and “the first work of fiction that openly addressed the cruelty of
slavery, human exploitation, the lopsided legal system, the entrenched
patriarchy, the need for feminism, and more.”
It became one of
the most popular books of the century – in the US and abroad – and is
credited with radically altering the perception of slavery, with many
voters noting its influence on the abolition movement. Its human focus
and call for empathy struck a chord among readers. Author and novelist
Roxana Robinson says it “told the story of slavery through the eyes of
the enslaved, and was one of the first novels to show black characters
as fathers and mothers, parents and children – human beings, who were
living under inhuman conditions.”
The novel is not without its
faults – translator Caroline Alexander calls it “embarrassingly
sentimental” – and has perhaps, not aged well: today its
characterisation is criticised for its “poor stereotypes” (Jenny Bhatt),
while Tendai Huchu points out that “the term Uncle Tom has become an
epithet of abuse, far from what the author intended.”
Nevertheless,
its impact is undeniable, influencing generations of writers, and being
translated into several languages. Novelist, poet and critic Elizabeth
Rosner says it “effectively helped an entire nation not only to question
its deplorable laws and practices but also to change forever a system
of violently racist dehumanisation. That, for me, defines literature at
its best.” And for Rebecca Steinitz, novelist and critic at The Boston
Globe, “it continues to be a touchpoint for our reckoning with race and
representation.” (Credit: Howard Timberlake)
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