Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
by Harriet Jacobs
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At a glance:
- Author: Harriet Jacobs
- First Published: 1861
- Type of Work: Slave narrative
- Time of Work: 1818-1861
- Setting: North Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York, New York
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography
- Subjects: Freedom, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Abolitionists, Escapes, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, New York City, Prejudices or antipathies, North Carolina, Moral conditions, Sexual harassment, Grandparents or grandchildren, Philadelphia
- Locales: New York, NY, United States, Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, North America
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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Popular Questions
See all »- Compare and contrast Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass' An American Slave.
- What argument (implied and explicit) does Jacobs make against slavery? Refer to passages.
- What do you think was the strongest force in Harriet Jacob's life: the institution of slavery, her religious beliefs, or her ethnic...
- In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, what was an an average day like for Linda Brent, living under Flint?
- What should of broke her in long ago?
