"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", by Harriet Jacobs, is an interesting example of the slave narrative, as it is more a novel than it is a true narrative account. The paper discusses how this story not only represented hope to any slaves of the time who could read the story, but also showed the torture of slavery to the white population of the North. The paper shows how in the longer term, the book serves as a historical record of the institution of slavery and of the cruel life it bestowed upon the victims.

From the Paper:

"The form of the novel is similar to the style of the romantic novels of the nineteenth century, though the story takes a different tack and offers up a more realistic vision of slavery than was common in fiction. The main character, Linda Brent, learns that she is a slave when she is still a child, and she learns more and more what that means as her first and more kindly mistress dies and she ends up as part of the household of Dr. Flint. That man may be respected in his community, but he is not a respectable man by any means."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Franklin, J.H. & Moss, A.A., Jr., From Slavery to Freedom, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1994.
• Jacobs, H.A., Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Boston, 1861.
• Rawick, G.P., The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood, 1972.

More papers on "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl":

• Analytical Essay # 144041 : "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
• Analytical Essay # 89153 : "Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
• Book Review # 110994 : "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" and Major Themes"
• Book Review # 75582 : "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" and Womanhood"

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