Sentiment and politics in Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was phenomenally popular and influential in its day, but its reputation in literary criticism declined over the years. Modern literary critics favored formalist qualities and found the novel too “sentimental” and too political.
More recently, however, feminist critics have rediscovered the novel as an example of nineteenth century “domestic fiction” or “women’s fiction” which demonstrates the ability of such writing to engage in social criticism.
Discuss the relation between sentiment and politics in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
How does Stowe play on the reader’s emotions in order to further her political goals? Cite specific passages from the text to support your interpretation.
Then evaluate Stowe’s project. Is sentimental fiction an appropriate tool for social criticism? Why or why not?
