Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, a young mother and fugitive slave. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their families when their children might be sold away. Harriet Jacobs contributed to the genre of slave narratives by using the techniques of sentimental novels to address race and gender issues. In the book, Jacobs addresses white Northern women who fail to comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution. The books' publication in 1861 coincided with the start of the American Civil War, attracting some attention as it addressed themes highlighted by the abolitionist movement. This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.

This boxset of five titles is a forceful reminder of the tremendous impact that the slave trade of the 16th-19th centuries had on those coerced into servitude and, subsequently, their descendants. Through kidnapping, murder and trickery, families were destroyed forever as they were taken from their homelands, split up and treated as less than human. But brutal as their experiences were, there are also powerful stories of indomitable spirits, pioneers, courage and, above all, hope within these pages. Inside the boxset, you will find the following titles: . Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas . Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington . The Underground Railway by William Still . Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup . Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself by Harriet JacobsTogether, they form a powerful lesson that we must never forget.

“This may be the most important story ever written by a slave woman, capturing as it does the gross indignities as well as the subtler social arrangements of the time.”-Kirkus Review “Of female slave narratives, Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself is the crowning achievement. Manifesting a command of rhetorical and narrative strategies rivaled only by that of Frederick Douglass, Jacobs's autobiography is one of the major works of Afro-American literature”-Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl, the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs, was initially written with the intention of illuminating white abolitionists to the appalling treatment of female slaves in the pre-Civil War South of the United States. The book was later rediscovered in the 1960’s, and it was not until the 1980s that it was proved to be an extraordinary work of autobiographical memoir as opposed to fiction. In this astonishing book, Harriet Jacobs uses the pseudonym of Linda Brent to recount her story as a slave, a mother, and her eventual escape to the north. Born into a relatively calm life as a young child to slaves, she is taken into the care of a kind mistress when her mother dies. Linda is taught to read and write, and is generally treated with respect. When the mistress passes away Linda is handed over to Dr. Flint. He is a negligent and cruel new master who subsequently pressures Linda for sexual favors, yet she resists his demands for years. In an attempt to circumvent the situation, Linda enters into a relationship with Mr. Sands, a white neighbor who ends up fathering her two children. Expecting that she and her children will be sold to Mr. Sands, Dr. Flint instead decides to subject them to further degradation. Linda escapes and goes into hiding in a small attic, and her children are eventually sold to Mr. Sand. For over seven years, Linda remains in hiding, until she ultimately escapes North to be reunited with her children. Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl is a devastating yet empowering document that uniquely focuses on the psychological and spiritual effects that bondage had on women slaves and their families. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is both modern and readable.

This powerful and unflinching memoir by young mother and fugitive slave, Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813 -1897), remains among the few remaining slave narratives written by a woman. The book was published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a wicked and predatory master, under the pseudonym Linda Brent since having her true identity revealed would have jeopardized her freedom under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Jacobs describes her life as a young slave in North Carolina as relatively idyllic until her mother's death when her mistress bequeathed her to a relative. She soon discovers the horror of her position and writes candidly of the struggles, sexual abuse, and fight for survival that female slaves faced on plantations, as well as the hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. She recounts women's efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children who might be sold away at any time. The book documents her life of servitude, her attempts to escape, and how she finally gained freedom to be reunited with her children in the North where she became an abolitionist speaker and reformer. This remarkable odyssey of her struggle for self-preservation and freedom was a passionate appeal to white Northern women as she sought to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution. While overshadowed by the breakout of the Civil War, it has since been touted as one of the first important slave narratives written from the female perspective.

The Marrow of Tradition and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl -The Best Black Authors Of All TimeCharles ChesnuttHarriet JacobsOde Sade"As man sows, so shall he reap. In works of fiction, such men are sometimes converted. More often, in real life, they do not change their natures until they are converted into dust."― Charles W. Chesnutt"Reader, did you ever hate? I hope not. I never did but once; and I trust I never shall again. Somebody has called it "the atmosphere of hell"; and I believe it is so."- Harriet Ann JacobsThe Marrow of Tradition pp. 4Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl pp. 329

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is an autobiography by a young mother and fugitive slave Harriet Ann Jacobs. Jacobs contributed to the genre of slave narrative by using the techniques of sentimental novels "to address race and gender issues." She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children when their children might be sold away. Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813 – 1897) was an African-American writer who escaped from slavery and was later freed. She became an abolitionist speaker and reformer.

The autobiography of Harriet Jacobs as told by herself. She details her life in slavery from a young girl until she becomes a free woman.

The autobiography of Harriet Jacobs as told by herself. She details her life in slavery from a young girl until she becomes a free woman.

This Norton Critical Edition includes: The first edition (1861), with the editors’ explanatory annotations, introduction, and glossary of the people of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Three illustrations. Key public statements by Harriet Jacobs, William C. Nell, the Reverend Francis J. Grimke, and others. A rich selection of correspondence by Harriet Jacobs, Lydia Maria Child, and John Greenleaf Whittier, suggesting Incidents’s initial reception. Ten major critical essays, six of them new to the Second Edition. A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography. About the Series Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts, and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.

Excerpt: "Reader be assured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery; on the contrary, my descriptions fall far short of the facts. I have concealed the names of places, and given persons fictitious names. I had no motive for secrecy on my own account, but I deemed it kind and considerate towards others to pursue this course...." "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" was one of the first books to address the struggle for freedom by female slaves; explore their struggles with sexual harassment and abuse; and their effort to protect their roles as women and mothers. After being overshadowed by the Civil War, the novel was rediscovered in the late 20th century and since then hasn't been out of print ever. It is one of the seminal books written on the theme of slavery from a woman's point of view and appreciated worldwide academically as well. Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) was an African-American writer who was formerly a fugitive slave. To save her family and her own identity from being found out, she used the pseudonym of Linda Brent and wrote secretly during the night.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by a young mother and fugitive slave published in 1861 by L. Maria Child, who edited the book for its author, Harriet Ann Jacobs. Jacobs used the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. Jacobs contributed to the genre of slave narrative by using the techniques of sentimental novels "to address race and gender issues." She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children when their children might be sold away. Jacobs' book is addressed to white women in the North who do not fully comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution. Jacobs began composing Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl after her escape to New York, while living and working at Idlewild, the Hudson River home of writer and publisher Nathaniel Parker Willis. Portions of her journals were published in serial form in the New-York Tribune, owned and edited by Horace Greeley. Jacobs' reports of sexual abuse were deemed too shocking for the average newspaper reader of the day, and publication ceased before the completion of the narrative.

Harriet Jacobs was not an ordinary slave girl, and her autobiography is not an ordinary account of the miseries of slavery. She was a slave who triumphed not only by luck but by careful planning and daring deceit. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the most important and most widely read female slave narrative, presents the subtle humiliations in addition to the simple brutality of slave life, especially for enslaved women and children. This gripping account, first published under the pseudonym Linda Brent, skilfully employs rhetorical and narrative devices to create a gripping and evocative story. Indeed, until Jean Yellin's over work a century later, it was regarded as a work of fiction.

Harriet Jacobs was not an ordinary slave girl, and her autobiography is not an ordinary account of the miseries of slavery. She was a slave who triumphed not only by luck but by careful planning and daring deceit. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the most important and most widely read female slave narrative, presents the subtle humiliations in addition to the simple brutality of slave life, especially for enslaved women and children. This gripping account, first published under the pseudonym Linda Brent, skilfully employs rhetorical and narrative devices to create a gripping and evocative story. Indeed, until Jean Yellin's over work a century later, it was regarded as a work of fiction.

EXCEPTIONAL EDITION This unique book contains two exceptional slave narratives: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs. Twelve Years a Slave (1853) is a memoir and slave narrative by Solomon Northup (1808-1863?). Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details his being tricked to go to Washington, D. C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. After having been kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana by various masters, Northup was able to write to friends and family in New York, who in turn secured his release with the aid of the state. Northup's captivating and terrifying narrative provides extensive details on the slave markets in Washington, D. C. and New Orleans, and describes at length cotton and sugar cultivation and slave treatment on major plantations in Louisiana. This work published soon after Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852), to which it lent factual support, was an instant bestseller in its own right. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) is an autobiography by a young mother and fugitive slave, Harriet Ann Jacobs, who used the pen name Linda Brent. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. Jacobs contributed to the genre of slave narrative . She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children when their children might be sold away. Jacob's book is addressed to white women in the North who do not fully comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution. These outstanding stories are must-read of American litterature.