Sunday, February 26, 2012

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Worth It?

I've been trying to read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I haven't made it past page 60. I know this is one of the most famous and widely read works of American literature. Practically the whole country read it during the Civil War. Many people loved it, and many people on both sides hated it. The controversy over it and its historical significance made me want to read it.

On starting it, however, I just can't get into it. The writing is awful! Where one adjective would do, Stowe uses four. She makes Dickens look subtle when it comes to pushing an agenda. And the dialect is pretty much incomprehensible. I don't always like reading dialects, but I'm usually good at reading Southern dialects since I'm from Oklahoma, where people have Southern-ish accents and I've traveled a lot in the deep South. But with this, I'm having to reread sentences several times to figure out what they're actually saying. The characters are all so flat and stereotypical too, and the minor characters are indistinguishable.

With about 400 pages left, I'm wondering if it's worth finishing? I may end up just setting it aside and trying again at another time, but I'm curious as to what other people think.

6 comments:

  1. She wrote it as a sensational novel because she figured women would buy it, read it, talk about it, and it might do some good. She was purposefully writing that way because it sold, and she needed to get the message out.

    (I'm going to read this one next month if I can, for the anniversary of the publication.)

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    1. I think there's a difference between knowing that and not being so frustrated by it that you want to throw the book across the room. :) The introduction to my edition talked about that, but I think I just thought it couldn't really be that bad. But it really is that bad. Maybe if I just keep going but only make myself read a chapter at a time that would help. Or maybe I should just buckle down and try to get through it quickly. There are just so many more tempting books on my shelves!

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  2. I read it last year--here's my post if you want my thoughts. It's not great literature, but it wasn't meant to be. I think it's very worth reading for its historical influence.

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    1. I think that comparing it to The Pilgrim's Progress is accurate - I had some of the same problems with it. :) I did finish it though, and was glad I did. I think I'm struggling because I'm trying to get more comfortable abandoning books, because I used to never do that. Maybe I should only do that with more contemporary fiction. I'll keep trying and trying not to focus on the writing style so much!

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  3. I'm planning on getting to this one later this year, but if it is like that...uck.

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  4. This does not bode well for my future as I am planning on reading it this year. Sounds like this might be one of those books where I read it slowly and in fits and starts w lots of fun reading in between. I wonder if an audio version in the car might be a good way to handle it--that's how I got through Pilgrim's Progress.

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