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Primary sourceBook1868

The Chimney Corner

Harriet Beecher Stowe · 1868

A collection of essays by Harriet Beecher Stowe written after the Civil War, discussing topics like women's education and suffrage, heard in a modern audio reading.

Stowe wrote this collection of post-Civil War essays under a male pen name, reflecting her broader social commentary.

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Harriet Beecher Stowe (as Christopher Crowfield), The Chimney Corner, 1868. LibriVox volunteer audio reading.

About this source

What it is

This is a book of essays by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1868 under her pen name Christopher Crowfield. The pieces are framed as fireside conversations between Crowfield, his family, and neighbors.

Why it matters

Written after the Civil War, these musings cover topics such as the 'Woman Question,' education, entertainment, and fashion. They reveal Stowe's continued engagement with social issues after her famous antislavery writing, and her interest in women's roles in society.

Look closer

  • Why might Stowe have chosen to write under a male pen name?
  • What do the topics discussed—suffrage, education, fashion—tell you about concerns of the time?
  • How does hearing this as a modern reading change your sense of the original text?

Note: the audio is a modern LibriVox volunteer reading, not Stowe's own voice.

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Beecher Stowe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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