Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the anti slavery novel, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. When Abraham Lincoln met the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe after the start of the American Civil War, he reportedly said to her: 'So you're the little lady whose book started this big war'. Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, is credited as fuelling the cause to abolish slavery in the northern half of the United States in direct response to its continuation in the South. The book deals with the harsh reality of slavery and the enduring power of Christian faith. It proved to be the bestselling novel of the 19th century, outselling the Bible in its first year of publication. Its fame spread internationally, No other book had portrayed an African-American slave as a central figure who was heroic and Christ-like. Lord Palmerston praised it highly and Tolstoy reportedly said it was his favourite novel. What impact did Uncle Tom's Cabin have on the on the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in 19th century America? How did the book create stereotypes about African Americans, many of which endure to this day? And what was its literary legacy? With Dr Celeste-Marie Bernier, Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Nottingham; Dr Sarah Meer, Lecturer and Director of Studies in English at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge; Dr Clive Webb, Reader in American History at the University of Sussex.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for downloading the Inartime podcast. For more details about Inartime and for our |
| 0:04.3 | terms of use, please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for. I hope you enjoy the program. |
| 0:12.0 | Hello, when Abraham Lincoln met the writer Harriet Beecher Stur after the start of the American |
| 0:16.4 | Civil War, he's reported to have said to her, so you're the little lady whose book started this |
| 0:21.1 | big war. Stur's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, is credited with fueling the |
| 0:27.3 | cause to abolish slavery in the northern half of the United States in direct response to its |
| 0:31.6 | continuation in the south. The book deals with the reality of slavery and the enduring power of |
| 0:37.4 | Christian faith. It proved to be the best-selling novel of the 19th century, outselling the Bible |
| 0:42.8 | in its first year of publication. Its fame spread internationally. Lord Palmerston praised it |
| 0:47.8 | highly and Tolstoy said it was his favorite novel. What impacted Uncle Tom's Cabin have on the |
| 0:53.3 | abolitionist cause in America? Did the book create stereotypes about African-Americans, many of |
| 0:58.0 | which endure to this day? And what was his literary legacy? With me to discuss Uncle Tom's Cabins, |
| 1:03.8 | our Celeste Marie Bernier, lecturer in American Studies at the University of Nottingham, |
| 1:08.3 | Dr. Clive Webb, reader in American History at the University of Sussex, and Dr. Sarah Mir, |
| 1:13.2 | lecturer in English at Selwyn College University of Cambridge. Celeste Marie Bernier, |
| 1:17.3 | can you give us some background to the American slave trade, say, 50 or so years before this book |
| 1:22.8 | was published? Right. Okay. The American slave trade emerges really out of the Atlantic or the |
| 1:28.0 | transatlantic trade, which occupies approximately 400 years. So from 16th century onwards up until, |
| 1:35.1 | as you rightly mentioned, Lincoln's emancipation proclamation in 1863. Now, the 50 years prior to |
| 1:42.2 | Uncle Tom's Cabin published an emerging in 1852 is really that at this point, American slavery becomes |
| 1:49.1 | the internal trade becomes much more palpable. So in the history of the transatlantic trade, |
| 1:54.8 | you have the middle passage, the transatlantic trade, I mean the sort of trade between Europe, |
... |
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