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The Minister's Wooing

Harriet Beecher Stowe · 1859

A 1859 historical novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe set in 18th-century Newport, exploring Calvinism, courtship, and slavery in the North.

Stowe wrote this novel, using it to question the Calvinism of her upbringing and to raise the issue of slavery.

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What it is

The Minister's Wooing is a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, first serialized in the Atlantic Monthly from 1858 to 1859, then published in book form. It is set in 18th-century Newport, Rhode Island.

Why it matters

The novel critiques the Calvinist theology Stowe was raised in by her father, minister Lyman Beecher, while also addressing slavery in the North. It reflects Stowe's grief over the death of her son and her sister's loss of a fiancé, both of whom died unregenerate under Calvinist doctrine. The book helped define the local-color style that influenced later New England writers and shows how personal loss shaped Stowe's questioning of religious doctrine.

Look closer

  • Why might Stowe set a critique of Calvinism inside a love story rather than a direct argument?
  • What does the novel's attention to slavery in the North suggest about how widespread the issue was?
  • How might personal grief shape the way an author writes about religious belief?

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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