Harriet Beecher Stowe's Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2003 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 1,0, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (American Literature), Veranstaltung: Hauptseminar: Cross-Atlantic Transfers, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The following paper will deal with the novel“Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands“by Harriet Beecher Stowe which was written in 1854. It has been out of print for several years, which is why it was difficult to find secondary literature. Consequently, I mostly worked with the book itself, which consists of letters Stowe wrote to friends and family members. They do not include any personal details. It is not clear whether the letters were printed in the original way or if certain details have been left out on purpose. In its preface, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe herself, she says,“If the criticism be made that every thing is givencouleur de rose,the answer is, Why not? They are the impressions, as they arose, of a most agreeable visit.“ In my paper I will try to answer her question“Why not?“.During her travels, Stowe encountered mostly friendly people who gave her a warm welcome to Britain. Stowe was, at the time, enjoying great status and fame in Britain due the overwhelming success of her novel“Uncle Tom’s Cabin“.While“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”sold 150.000 copies in the United States during the first year of its publication, it sold over one million times in Great Britain.1Consequently, people who were also anti-slavery oriented, were very pleased to be in her company. Some encounters Stowe describes, remind one of almost popstar-like fame, and it is only normal that such enthusiastic emotions would push her towards looking at everything in a more positive light. Consequently, Stowe’s attitude towards the British working class seems a little too“couleur de rose”.Being so active in the anti-slavery movement, it is hard to believe that a woman like Stowe with such strong political opinions can be so oblivious to the horrible working conditions in Britain. In this paper, I will start out by mentioning a few facts concerning Stowes background and upbringing. In order to understand her opinions and especially her religious approach, it is important to take a look at her family and general environment. Furthermore, I will provide a little background information on the letters she wrote and a map to show the different places she visited. In chapter 4 I will work with the letters. I will show what Stowe thought about the British, the differences and similarities she noticed between British and American people. I will point out in depth what Stowe wrote about their outer appearance, their behavior and the immense feeling of comfort Stowe had while in Britain.