In 1860, Brown's novel served as
an abolitionist exhortation tailored to African-American readers.
In 1864, as a post-emancipation statement, directed at the Union army.
And in 1867, as a post-Civil War appeal to America's emancipated slaves.
What this sequence of publication suggests is that Brown was very aware
of the potential of the historical novel to shape public opinion and sentiment.
And that the genre was eminently adaptable
to the particular political circumstances of the moment.
At the time of its initial publication, Clotel
attracted a lot of praise from the abolitionist press.
In a typical review in 1854, the newspaper The Liberator commended the
novel's portrayal of the dehumanizing aspects
of enslavement that devastate three generations.
Mr. Brown has skillfully embodied in his affecting tale,
numerous well-authenticated occurrences, which have transpired
in the South within a comparatively short
period, all calculated to intensify the moral
indignation of the world against American slavery.