''The Cabin and Parlor; or, Slaves and Masters'' is an

1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come to ...

novel by Charles Jacobs Peterson, writing under the pseudonym J. Thornton Randolph.

Overview

''The Cabin and Parlor'' is an example of the pro-slavery plantation literature genre that emerged from the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

in response to the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

novel ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...

'' by

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

, which had been published in book form in that year, and criticised in the Southern United States for exaggerating the workings of slaveholding. Whereas the majority of anti-Tom novels focused on the evils of abolitionism, Peterson instead attacked the North's

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

attitudes, and their use of "white slaves" (the

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

es) over black slaves. This attitude appeared again in Caroline Rush's '' The North and the South; or, Slavery and Its Contrasts'', also published in 1852.

Plot summary

The story begins with the sudden death of Mr. Courtenay, a wealthy but kindly

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

landowner who, not having had time to pay off his debts, leaves his family facing destitution. In an effort to avoid bankruptcy, the family sells their slaves, among whom is the kindly Uncle Peter, who takes a liking to Courtenay's daughter, Isabel, and vows to help the family in any way he can in thanks for the kindness they showed him. The money from the sales is nominal, and Isabel and her brother Horace must find jobs to pay the remaining bills and support their ailing mother. Isabel finds work as a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, and Horace heads to an unidentified city in the North (implied as

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

), where he becomes a "Northern slave" (i.e.

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

) to the malevolent Mr. Sharpe, a ruthless capitalist who works Horace mercilessly. As the Courtenays continue to struggle, Isabel finds comfort in a young slaveowner named Walworth, the son of an old

family, who travels back and forth between the North and South. When Horace dies of exhaustion in the North, Walworth comforts him in his final hours, and delivers his final requests to his sister. Whilst travelling together, Walworth and Isabel are caught in the midst of an anti-black riot, from which Walworth saves Isabel from harm. Isabel begins to have romantic feelings for Walworth, and they eventually marry. The marriage, by a twist of fate, allows Isabel to reclaim her wealth and property—including her slaves—and she is finally reinstated at Courtenay Hall.

Characters

*Isabel Courtenay, the novel's heroine, one of Courtenay's two children, who struggles to pay her father's debts following his death *Horace Courtenay, Mr. Courtenay's son and Isabel's brother, who travels north to acquire a job, and eventually dies there after being exhausted by his overbearing employers *Walworth, a young

English American English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million America ...

slaveowner, whose family has deep roots in

and who, along with Uncle Peter, helps the Courtenays regain their wealth and property *Uncle Peter, a kindly slave once owned by the Courtenays, who wishes to help his former masters during their difficult time in return for their kindness to him *Mr. Sharpe, a malevolent, bullying

(possibly intended to correspond with the character of

Simon Legree Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

in ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'') who employs Horace, treats him with contempt, and literally works him to death *Mr. Courtenay, the resident of Courtenay Hall in

, who dies suddenly at the beginning of the novel, leaving his family in debt

Publication history

Peterson's novel was among the earliest examples of the plantation literature genre, released six months after ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' appeared in book form. The publishers of Peterson's novel, T.B. Peterson Ltd. (Theophilus B. Peterson was Charles' brother) subsequently published other "anti-Tom" novels, most notably '' The Planter's Northern Bride'' (1854) by Caroline Lee Hentz.''The Planter's Northern Bride'', Anti Uncle Tom Novels, Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture, The University of Virginia
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabin And Parlor 1852 American novels Anti-Tom novels Works published under a pseudonym Novels set in Virginia