A Literary Woman: 1839–1843

Abstract

Harriet Beecher Stowe's initial publications had been in the Western Monthly Magazine. Between 1833 and 1834, she published five stories and sketches in James Hall's magazine. While becoming a westerner was an important step on her way to reaching a national audience, Stowe's literary power intensified when she began writing for Sarah Josepha Hale's Godey's Lady's Book, self-described as “a proud monument reared by the Ladies of America as a testimony of their own worth.” Beginning in 1839 with “Trials of a Housekeeper,” Stowe published at least eight stories in Godey's Lady's Book during the three following years. The Lady's Book introduced Stowe to an audience she would have particular sympathies with: the women of America. In 1836 Hale merged her magazine with a new venture of Louis Godey. This merger resulted in a phenomenally successful national magazine and now that there was a distinct possibility that she might become a literary woman, Harriet expressed some ambivalence.