Uncle Tom's Cabin is fiction

[pookyman]

No doubt it is a great novel, and well written, even entertaining, but it is fiction. They are not real people, it didn't happen, and it was written by a lady whose vision came through an abolitionist looking glass. It is not accurate, it is sensationalized, it was written to pull at the heart strings.

[kathycf]

Originally Posted by pookyman

No doubt it is a great novel, and well written, even entertaining, but it is fiction. They are not real people, it didn't happen, and it was written by a lady whose vision came through an abolitionist looking glass. It is not accurate, it is sensationalized, it was written to pull at the heart strings.

Um...yes. This is a literature discussion board, and many of the books discussed are fiction, including Uncle Tom's Cabin. May I ask why you feel obligated to point this out? I am not being sarcastic by the way, I am genuinely puzzled.

[Schokokeks]

Maybe because, being "only" fiction, it is said to have had a huge impact:
President Lincoln (allegedly ) to Harriet Becher Stowe: "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

[kathycf]

I think I got puzzled because I have never seen anybody on these boards assert that they think Uncle Tom's Cabin is a true story, nor is there any attempt here to categorize this book as "non-fiction".

They are not real people, it didn't happen

That is generally the case with fiction. However, both slavery and abolition were unquestionably real. I guess what I am wondering is if pookyman had a specific reason for stating this. Again, not being sarcastic here, just wondering.


Welcome to LitNet, by the way pookyman

*edit* BTW this is a quote from pookyman's other post, if that helps make my confusion, well, any less confusing.

Originally Posted by pookyman

Does anybody on this forum realize Uncle Tom's Cabin is a complete work of fiction?

[pookyman]

Kathycf
Don't be puzzled, read some of the posts in other threads. It is, at least to me, obvious that some of the posters think the story is nonfiction. The book is truly a classic, and holds a special place in American history, but it is not even close to being accurate. I hate to even bring this up, but I believe Margret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind is closer to the truth, on the treatment of slaves. Slavery was a horror, and UTC helped end it, but it simply was not the truth and never was intended to be taken as such.

[kathycf]

Sorry, I read through some of the posts and I don't see that at all. In fact in this thread here, the previous poster mentions only that he or she felt blessed to have read the book. That doesn't imply thinking the book is non-fiction, not to me. Mosts of the posts here are fairly old as well.

Well, at any rate I have no desire to enter into a debate about the issue. I hope you enjoy your stay here at the forum.

[RobinHood3000]

Fiction, yes. Sensationalist, possibly. But regardless of the abolitionist looking glass, the fact remains that Stowe witnessed slavery semi-first-hand across the Ohio River from home. In fact, if you research her books, the year after Uncle Tom's Cabin was published, Stowe published a guide to UTC that elaborates on the source material.

[A N Ravencroft]

Yup yup that's true she did base some of her characters on slaves she interviewed while writing the book. SHe also interviewed plantation owners too if I remember right...correct me if I'm wrong

[Jamilah]

I just borrowed Uncle Tom's Cabin from the library. It's the book I plan to read and finish in August before I go back to school. Is it worth reading? It's a work of fiction but I was under the impression that it's rooted in what she saw and experienced as an abolitionist. In other words, somewhat autobiographical. The way Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mocking Bird. This works for me. Am I wrong?