In some biographies Calvin Henderson Wiley is identified as a lawyer; in others, as a Reverend. Perhaps he was both. All agree he was a proud native of North Carolina who originally published this book in 1849 as Roanoke; or, Where Is Utopia? "Utopia" is the name of the novel's heroine, which gives the flavor of the book's combination of Walter Scott historical romance and allegory. It is set at the beginning of the American Revolution, and emphasizes the heroic qualities of the colonists who rebelled against their English oppressors. The hero's name is Walter Tucker, son of Dan Tucker. Though the story also contains a Zip Coon, who is black, this Tucker family is white. There is also an impressive fugitive slave named Wild Bill, who argues eloquently (in Chapter 27) that Carolina's slaves have the same right of revolt as its discontented colonists, but the narrative is firmly pro-slavery: it is the villain who schemes to start a slave rebellion in order to head off the American Revolution. The story it tells that matters here, however, is less complicated. When Stowe's novel became a best-seller, Wiley (or his publisher) decided to republish the book, changing only the name. Only the name makes any connection to Uncle Tom's Cabin. (In 1866 Peterson published the novel again, under the original title.) |
By C. H. Wiley Embellished with Fourteen Beautiful Illustrations Drawn Expressly for This Work by Darley (Philadelphia: T. B. Peterson, 1852) Wright American Fiction Project, Indiana University Library. |