Talk:The Minister's Wooing

Biographical info apparently unrelated to the book

There is a sentence in this short intro to the novel that seems to belong elsewhere. It is a biographical snippet that may belong to the article on Stowe, but not here:

'Catherine, Harriet Beecher Stowe's sister, had contributed to a period of mental instability for Stowe by being a very strict caretaker. In fact, Stowe's first work, a geography textbook, was published as if written by "Catherine E. Beecher" without Harriet getting any credit.'

If no one objects, I will remove it in a week or so. --Jottce 14:39, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Someone apparently put it back in; I deleted it again while mass-revising this thing. --Glass Gypsy (talk) 08:08, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Novels WikiProject - changed Class to "C"

This article ceased to be a "stub" some time ago, so it definitely belongs in some other class. I cleaned it up a fair bit the other day, to the point that I think it's at least now an accurate introduction to the novel, if not a complete one. --Glass Gypsy 20:14, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Things to Work On?

Some issues that would need to be addressed (IMO) before this article could be considered "good"/"complete."

Nitpicky Stuff

• Formatting of the citations/bibliography is still inconsistent and messy.

• I'm PRETTY sure that most of the "plot summary" and "list of characters" sections don't fit wiki standards.

• WHO are the people comparing it to Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and WHY? I'm sure it probably IS often compared to the book, but all we've got there is passive/vague attribution.

• "Her intent was to point flaws and promote tolerance"...what?? Expose the flaws of what? Slavery? Calvinism? Systematic/abstract theology in general? Promote tolerance of WHAT? Catholicism? Calvinism? Alternatives to Calvinism? Womens' contributions to theological discussion? Because she does all of these. (I should be able to access the cited article eventually, but at this point I have no way of verifying which particular things its author talked about).

• Unnecessary repetition of some of the stuff about Calvinism and her son's death. I think this issue will fix itself, however, once the other themes of the book are fleshed out.

• Any lingering NPOV problems.

Missing Content

The overriding issue here is that there's still a disproportionate focus on the "critique of Calvinism" aspect of the novel. (And as that's my particular area of interest/study in regard to this book, I haven't helped matters much). Soo...still needed:

• A more detailed discussion of the anti-slavery themes in the book. Concerns about slavery figure as prominently in the novel as concerns about Calvinism, and the article should reflect this fact.

• Probably some mention of Stowe's portrayal of negroes (similarities to her previous works; biases/stereotypes she countered and/or propagated; etc.).

• A discussion of the feminist elements of the book. In particular, a look at how the book fits into both 19th century discourse about the roles/differences/capabilities of the sexes, and the growing prominence of female writers. Some notes...

* Novel revolves around a group of female protagonists...sort of a big deal.

* Much of the "action" in the novel takes place within and deals with the concerns of the "domestic sphere," aka the 19th century "woman's realm."

* On that note, the article definitely needs a clarification of what exactly the "domestic sphere" is, how the novel deals with it, and the significance of this fact that it deals with it. Right now that part is just a fuzzy vague assertion lacking concrete specifics.

* One of Stowe's recurring themes in Wooing is that men and women tend to approach theological and philosophical issues differently. Large portions of the novel are a critiques-by-example not just of Calvinism, but also of what she deems the "male" pattern.

• Concerning the "Genesis of the Novel" - a mention of Stowe's trip to Europe, and how it influenced her views on both aesthetics and Catholicism (two recurring elements in the novel). While the death of Stowe's son may have been the catalyst that spurred the writing of the book, many of the themes Stowe addresses (including slavery!!) are rooted in other experiences in her life. (I can't find the journal article that I once read that discussed this in detail, but I know there is one. :/)

• Maybe a bit more on how the book functions as a "local color novel" and "sentimental novel." Not sure, though - passing reference may be enough.

• A section on the critical reception of the book, both by its contemporaries and by later scholars.

Aaand...undoubtedly some more things I haven't thought of, but that should do it for a while. If Palmetto Leaves can get an awesome page, I hold out some hope for this one. --Glass Gypsy 20:31, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Hi, I agree with your assessment, just based on the article as it is. The Lead twice mentions the issue of slavery, but it is not reflected in the plot summary, nor in the discussion of characters. Also predestination has to be explained more clearly in terms of how it affected Stowe and her sister's reactions to the deaths of loved ones. Have not read the book, nor the sources quoted here, so would have much catching up to do to contribute. Good luck! Parkwells (talk) 17:26, 1 December 2020 (UTC)