三稿正文.docx

三稿正文.docx

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三稿正文

StudyoftheFactorsLeadingtotheSuccessof

UncleTom’sCabin

ⅠIntroduction

A.TheSuccessoftheNovel

UncleTom’sCabin,writtenbyHarrietBeecherStoweandpublishedonTheNationalErain1951,arousedagreatpublicattentionandbecamethebest-selleratthattime（excepttheBible）.Thenovelhadcomeoutmorethan100editionswithinoneyearinAmerica.What’smore,ithadbeenadaptedintoplaysandperformedthousandsoftimes.Inmoderntimesitstillenjoysagreatpopularityhomeandabroad.Longfellowoncepraisedit“thegreatestvictoryinthehistoryofliterature”.Thepopularityofitisnoaccident.AlfredKazinsays,“UncleTom’sCabinisthemostpowerfulandenduringworkofarteverwrittenaboutAmericanslavery.”

Itsold350,000copiesduringthefirstyear,andsincethenhasbeenpublishedinsomefortylanguagesandhasbeenreadbymillionsofpeopleintheglobe.Atthesametime,itisoneofthemostinfluentialbooksrecommendedby13HarvardUniversityprofessors.ItisthefirstnovelthathasbeentranslatedintoChineseinChina.Aboveall,thesuccessandhistoricalinfluencesofUncleTom’sCabinarebeyondimagination.

B.TheAuthor

⒈FamilyBackground

HarrietBeecherStowewasborninanAmericanPuritanfamily.Herfather,Lyman,afamousclergyman,workedagainstslaveryforalifetime.Hewasanenergeticreformerandeducator.Hewasalsoastern,bullyingpatriarch.HebecamepresidentoftherecentlyfoundedLaneTheologicalSeminaryin1824.Theboysofthefamilyweredestinedtobepreachers,whilethegirlstomarrypreachers.Threeofherbrotherswerepreachers.Harrietbeganschoolin1816inLitchfield,Connecticut,andcontinuedtoworkforherdomineeringoldersisterattheWesternFemaleInstitutesheinitiated.In1836shemarriedCalvinEllisStowe,whowasabrilliantprofessorinaseminary.Obviously,theiroutlooks,righteousactionsandpointofviewshadtremendouseffectsonher.Theformationofhercharacteristicswasinfluencedbypeoplearoundher.Theiractionsandviewspromotedhertounderstandmoreofslaveryandabolition.ConceptofabolitionwasimplantedinHarrietBeecherStoweatayoungage.ThewritingofUncleTom’sCabinwasnotjustforreadingentertainment.Inthenovel,somecharactersarelinkedtopeopleinreality.Sotheappearanceofthenovelcannotbeseparatedfromherfamilybackground.

⒉PersonalExperienceandProbesintotheClassofSlaves

Mrs.StowebelievedinChristiandeeplyandwasconcernedwithsocialandmoralissues.In1832,theBeechersmovedtoCincinnatiwheretherewasariverawayfromthesouthernslave-remainedstates.Mrs.Stowecontactedwithblackslaves,helpingthembreakawayfromthesouth.Moreover,shepaidvisitstothesouth,witnessedthecrucialbehaviorsofslaveowners,sawnumerousslavesleadanoppressed,deplorablelife.Theywerefacedwithpossibilitiesofbeingsoldatalowpriceevenlessthancattleandcouldnotcontroltheirlifefromtheirbirth.Despitethewretchedfatetheyhelpedeachotherandstooduptostruggle.Mrs.Stowe’sbrothersandhusbandassistedamountofslavestoescapefromthehell.Mrs.Stowehadaheartedsympathyformultitudinousslaves.Sheherselflentahandtoneedyblackpeopleandencouragedthemtoliveoptimistically.AlthoughMrs.Stoweandherfamilywerenotabletoaidallslaves,shecommencedtobattlebytheuseofherforcefulpen.SupportfromherfamilyandaconfirmfaithtogetridofslaveryledhertowriteUncleTom’sCabin.Mrs.Stowe’spersonalexperiencemadethenovelvivid,sincereandeviden-bassed.Thegenuineexperienceshelpedthenovel’stirbyprovidingsufficientwritingmaterials.

Whenreadingthenovel,readersarenotlikelytofeelartificial.Inthisway,readerscannotignoreherpersonalprobesintotheClassofSlaves.Mrs.Stowetalkedwiththemiseryslaves.WhenshelivedinSouthOhio,sheoncehadaconversationwithaslaveontheboundaryofaplantation.Shesawacoupletradedatanauctiononasteamboat.Thecoupleswereseparatedbyaslavetraderincoldblood,letalonetoreunitewiththeirfamily.Alsoherbrothersandhusbandaidedarunawaymaroonatnight.AndshehelpedherhandmaidenwriteletterstoherhusbandwhowasinKentucky.Allthesewritingmaterialswerereflectedinhernovel,suchastheseparationamongAuntChloeandUncleTom,theescapebetweenElizaandGeorgeHarris.Inaddition,Mrs.Stowedidutmosttomakeherwritingoriginalandtruthful.OnJuly19th,1851,shewrotealonglettertoanemancipatedslave,FrederickDouglass,whowasanabolitionistoratortoinquireinformationtobeusedinhernovel.Tosomedegree,GeorgeHarrisistheprototypeoftheMr.Douglas.Georgeisafigureofsomethinguncommon.Heisaradical,behavinglikealearnedgentlemaninsteadofadegradingslave.

In1849,Mrs.Stowe’ssonCharlesdiedofcholeraattheageof18months.Whenrecollectingthesituation,shesaidlikethis,“Standingbesidehisbedandgrave,Iunderstandamother’sfeelingwhenherchildisreaved”.Thereisnodenyingthatsheexperiencedtheagonyoflosingkids.ThereforeshedescribedthefugitivemotherEliza’sfeelingwhenshemissednowordofMr.ShelbytosellhersonHarry.ThepainofElizawasnarratedindetail.

Ⅱ.HistoricalInfluencesoftheNovel

Sincethemasterpiecetakessomuchsignificance,historicalInfluencesareworthanalyzing.Thewriterdeemsitcanbetoldfromthreeaspects.

A.AmericanLiterature

ThehistoryofAmericanliteratureislessthan200years,anditisstillyounginthehistoryofworldliterature.TheearlyAmericanliteraturewasinfluencedbyEuropeanliterature.Itisafactthatliteraryworksalwaysappearinacertainandspecificsocialenvironment.Thelibidooftheworksrelyonsocialwidthanddepthreflectedinworks.ThenovelUncleTom’sCabinsetaflagforrealisminAmericanliteraryhistory,initiatedarealisticroadforliteratureproductionandreflectedtheessenceoflifebycreatingrepresentativecharactersandsettings.Thecharactersdescribedinthenovelreflectedthecrueltyofslaverysystem.Thenovelmadeacontributiontorealisticculture.Itportrayedslaves’miserablelife,disclosingitsvillainy.

B.AmericanHistory

Mrs.StoweuncoveredthemajorsocialcontradictionsinAmerica.Shewasdeterminedtofightagainstslaverytotheendbywriting,bytheforcefuluseofthepeninherhand.Tosomeextent,thenovelhasastimulativeeffectonsocialprogressandplaysapositiveroleintheCivilWar.Itistruethat“ratherthanreachingouttobringtogetherpopulationsundertheumbrellaofthenation,Stowe’sreligiousimaginationseekstobuildaspiritualcommunityfromtheinsideoutbyshapingintimate‘feelings’andpolitical‘interests.’”（Farrel245）.Fromthe1820s,abolitionbecameamajorsocialmovement.UnconsciouslyUncleTom’sCabinmademorepeoplepondertheexistofslavery.ItcanbesaidthatthenovelpushedtheprocessofAmericanhistoryinpeople’sthoughtsinasense.

C.LiberationStruggleofOtherOppressedPeoples

Thenovelwasfocusedonfightingagainstoppression,sonodoubtitencouragedotheroppressedpeoplesandstatesallovertheworldtoeliminatecolonialismandwinliberation.SinceChristopherColumbusfoundtheNewWorld,capitalismenlargedintheworldscope.Theprocessofexpansionwasnotonlytheprocessofthefoundationofworldmarketforcapitalism,butalsotheprocessofcolonyformationinAsia,AfricaandLatinAmerica.NotonlydidslavetradingandcolonyexploitationemergeinAmerica,butalsoinotherplaces.ThenovelnotonlybelongstoAmerica,butalsobelongstothewholeworld.Itishighlyvaluedbyalargenumberofpeople.Ithasaffectedallovertheworld.Gaullesayslikethis,notonlydoesherworkinfectAmericatremendously,butalsothewholeAfricanAmerica.What’smore,ithasanimpactontheOldEurope.Overonecentury,peoplepresumeitisaforcefulverbalweapontoopposeracialdiscriminationandsupportslaveryabolition.

Ⅲ.TheFactorsLeadingtotheSuccessoftheNovel

Theovernightvictoryoftheclassicnovelisnotanaccident.Thereareplentyofreasonsgivingrisetoitshit.Fourmajorreasonscontributetothelong-existingrenowninthelimitedoceanofliterature.

A.SocialBackground

TheCivilWarwasawarfoughtintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.InresponsetotheelectionofAbrahamLincolnasPresidentoftheUnitedStates,11southernslavestatesdeclaredtheirsecessionfromtheUnitedStatesandformedtheConfederateStatesofAmerica（theConfederacy）;theother25statessupportedthefederalgovernment（theUnion）.Afterfouryearsofwarfare,mostlywithintheSouthernstates,theConfederacysurrenderedandslaverywasoutlawedeverywhereinthenation.IssuesthatledtowarwerepartiallyresolvedintheReconstructionErathatfollowed,thoughothersremainedunresolved.

ConflictsbetweentheNorthandtheSouthweremainlyfocusedonslaveryabolitionbeforethenovel’spublication.Inthemiddleof19thcentury,capitalisticeconomybasedonemploymentinthenorthprosperedinarelativelygoodshape,whileplantationeconomybasedonoccupyingslaves’workingfruitdevelopedonalargescale.Thetwodifferenteconomiesformedtwodisparatesocialsystemswhichwerenotpronetoco-existatthesametime.Bothsidescontendedtograspcrudematerials,westernuncultivatedland,workforceandtheleadershipinCongress.Naturally,itformedtwodiversesocialideologiesastomaintainslaveryornot.Slaveholdersmadesplittingpoliticalactivitiestostickupforslaveryatthepriceofsacrificingslaves’benefit.Divergebetweenbothsidescouldbeignitedatanytimeevenifatinysparklingf