 Front cover of the first edition, stereotyped by Vincent Dill | |
| Author | Philip J. Cozans[a] |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Vincent Dill (stereotyper) |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Anti-Tom literature |
| Published | Philip J. Cozans |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 8 (first edition) |
| OCLC | 990067664 |
Little Eva: The Flower of the South is an Anti-Tom children's book by American writer Philip J. Cozans. Although its publication date is unknown, scholars estimated the release was either in the 1850s or early 1860s. The book follows Little Eva, the daughter of a wealthy Alabama planter. She is characterized through her kindness toward slaves as she reads the Bible to them and teaches the alphabet to slave children. On her ninth birthday, Little Eva nearly drowns, but is rescued by a slave named Sam. Her parents free Sam who decides to remain with the family because he loves them.
Like other Anti-Tom literature, the book was published as a response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's criticism of slavery in the United States in her 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Scholars have identified its protagonist as a loose adaptation of the Uncle Tom's Cabin character Little Eva. Little Eva: The Flower of the South was one of the few Anti-Tom books intended for children.
A major theme of the book is education during the slave period in the United States, which is explored through Little Eva's portrayal as an educator. This version of the character was introduced in an Uncle Tom's Cabin illustration, and popularized by artists and children's literature writers, such as Cozans. The book has also been the subject of academic analysis for its proslavery message, although scholar Deborah C. De Rosa described it as an "embattled text" with an "abolitionist impetus".[3]
- ^ Morritt 2011, p. 150.
- ^ Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media.
- ^ De Rosa 2012, p. 172.
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