Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

by Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl


At a glance:

Form and Content

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was long believed to be a fictional account of slavery. Through extensive research, however, scholars have documented its authenticity as an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, and it is now considered one of the most important antebellum slave narratives. No doubt the author’s decision to use pseudonyms for herself and her characters and the “novelish” nature of the autobiography (with its plot, dialogue, and episodic chapters) led some literary critics and historians to question the historical authenticity of...

(The entire page is 2431 words.)

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