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This study explores the claim that Bertha von Suttner's anti-war novel Die Waffen nieder¿ was the "Uncle Tom's Cabin of the peace movement," which originated in a comment from a letter to Suttner from Leo Tolstoy. The two novels are compared on the basis of Tolstoy's theory of art, with focus on the didactic purpose and moral message of each novel. While Uncle Tom's Cabin is a work of moral suasion with an unabashed appeal to feeling, the analysis of militarism in Die Waffen nieder¿ differs in scope and form and in its self-conscious use of sentimentality as a convention, even as its critique of social and political institutions is equally substantial.
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"Readers will find much food for thought in Regina Braker's comparative reading of two of the most influential novels of the nineteenth century, Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and Bertha von Suttner's 'Lay Down Your Arms¿'. Our generation and the generations of the future need to be reminded of the significance of these blockbuster novels and of the motivations and arguments of the remarkable women who composed them." (Karen Offen, Stanford University)
"Braker's book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the main works of the two most famous female writers of the last century. Her comparative study øof 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and 'Die Waffen nieder¿'! shows why both books are still of utmost interest for us today, with their message that neither war nor oppression are solutions which serve the interest of humanity. Both øHarriet Beecher Stowe and Bertha von Suttner! strongly believed in individual responsibility and action to foster change - a message which is still valid today." (Ursula-Maria Ruser, United Nations Library)
