''The Lofty and the Lowly, or Good in All and None All Good'' is a novel by

Maria Jane McIntosh Maria Jane McIntosh (1803 in Sunbury, Georgia – 25 February 1878 in Morristown, New Jersey) was an American writer. She began her literary career using the pseudonym "Aunt Kitty". She used contrasting pairs of characters to demonstrate her moral ...

published by D. Appleton & Company in 1853. It was one of many

anti-Tom Anti-Tom literature consists of the 19th century pro-slavery novels and other literary works written in response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's '' Uncle Tom's Cabin''. Also called plantation literature, these writings were generally written by author ...

novels published in response to

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

's '' Uncle Tom's Cabin''. The story is set is Georgia and tells of a plantation owner's efforts to avoid bankruptcy with the help of his loyal slave Daddy Cato. Their efforts are challenged by a northern

usurer Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is ch ...

and devious northern capitalists. The book sold well across the United States upon release, making it one of the most successful anti-Tom novels in the middle 19th century.

Overview

''The Lofty and the Lowly'' is one of several examples of the pro-slavery

plantation literature Anti-Tom literature consists of the 19th century pro-slavery novels and other literary works written in response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''. Also called plantation literature, these writings were generally written by autho ...

genre that emerged from the Southern United States in response to the abolitionist novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'', which was criticised in the South for its portrayal of the evils of slaveholding. The majority of these "anti-Tom" novels often focused on the benevolence of plantation owners, and the evils of abolitionism and capitalism practised in the Northern United States. McIntosh's novel follows this latter route, although McIntosh claims in the preface of her novel that she is attempting to display a neutral image of slavery in her novel.

Plot

The novel takes place along the Georgia coastline in 1837, where the prosperous Montrose plantation continues to yield a rich harvest of cotton each year, which is gathered by the slaves of the plantation. The elderly owner of the plantation, Colonel Montrose, has died of old age, leaving his son to manage the plantation and tend to his slaves. However, with the onset of the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

, Young Montrose faces

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

unless he is able to maintain the plantation efficiently and keep it working properly. With the aid of his Christianized slave Daddy Cato, Young Montrose sets to work on getting the plantation back up to speed, but his efforts come under the scrutiny of a

named Uriah Goldwire, who is employed by a group of devious capitalists from the North who wish to see the Montrose plantation ruined in order to keep their own pockets filled. Montrose and Cato eventually begin to fight against the efforts of Goldwire to sabotage their work, even going so far as to quell a pro-abolitionist riot intended to force the Montrose slaves into running away from their homes in Georgia to the North.

Characters

*Young Montrose – the son of Colonel Montrose, who inherits the plantation, slaves and land upon the death of his father. *Daddy Cato – a loyal, pious slave of the Montrose plantation who fills the role of

Uncle Tom Uncle Tom is the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel, ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''. The character was seen by many readers as a ground-breaking humanistic portrayal of a slave, one who uses nonresistance and gives his life to protect ...

from ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'', comforting his master in times of stress and despair. *Uriah Goldwire – a malevolent Northerner who is recruited as a saboteur by his employees in order to ruin the Montrose plantation and force Montrose into destitution. *Colonel Montrose – the kindly, elderly plantation owner who passes away at the beginning of the novel of old age. His military career is not expanded in any great detail in the novel.

Reception

According to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, ''The Lofty and the Lowly'' was a critical success in both north and south upon its original release in 1853. In the opening weeks of publishing, 8,000 copies of the novel were sold in the entire United States. This would have made ''The Lofty and the Lowly'' the most commercially successful anti-Tom novel since the publication of ''

Aunt Phillis's Cabin ''Aunt Phillis's Cabin; or, Southern Life as It Is'' by Mary Henderson Eastman is a plantation fiction novel, and is perhaps the most read anti-Tom novel in American literature. It was published by Lippincott, Grambo & Co. of Philadelphia in 1 ...

'' in 1852, which sold between 20,000 and 30,000 copies for the entire year.

Publication history

''The Lofty and the Lowly'' was first published in 1853 by D. Appleton & Company. The novel was one of few anti-Tom novels to be published in separate volumes rather than a single, collected novel. D. Appleton & Company. would later publish other anti-Tom novels, including the 1860 novel ''

The Ebony Idol ''The Ebony Idol'' is a plantation literature novel by G. M. Flanders, first published in 1860. It is one of several pro-slavery novels written in the Southern United States in response to the 1852 abolitionist novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' by Har ...

'' by

G. M. Flanders G is the seventh letter of the Latin alphabet. G may also refer to: Places * Gabon, international license plate code G * Glasgow, UK postal code G * Eastern Quebec, Canadian postal prefix G * Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, ...

References

External links

''The Lofty and the Lowly'' at the University of Virginia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lofty And The Lowly 1853 American novels Anti-Tom novels Novels set in Georgia (U.S. state) Fiction set in 1837 D. Appleton & Company books