An analysis of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in the context of New Historicism

New Historicism, which emerged in the 1980s under the leadership of Stephen Greenblatt, is a literary-critical approach that aims to examine literary texts together with their historical and cultural contexts. This theory centers on the relationship between literature, history, and ideology, and rejects the idea that historical reality can be conveyed in a single, objective, and impartial manner. According to the New Historicist approach, a literary work emerges as a product of religious, social, cultural, and political relationships. In this respect, the cultural context in which a text was produced must be taken into account during its interpretation. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, tells the story of Uncle Tom, who is sold into slavery after the family he worked for experiences an economic collapse. The novel depicts the violence, discrimination, and psychological and physical abuse faced by African Americans of various ages and genders in the American South. With its realistic portrayal of the period, the work attracted great attention when it was published. Similarly, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair reflects the harsh working conditions and mistreatment faced by the working class in American society. Through the story of Jurgis and his family, the novel exposes the corruption brought about by capitalism and the transformation of the "American Dream" into a nightmare. The work presents a stark and realistic portrayal of these issues. Both of these novels are valuable in historical context. Unlike traditional historical narratives, Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Jungle convey the experiences of oppressed and marginalized social groups through fictional realism, thus serving as quasi-historical documents. As they reflect their respective time periods through a fictional yet critical lens, these two works are highly suitable for analysis within the framework of New Historicism. The aim of this thesis is to analyze Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Jungle in light of New Historicist discourse.