Publisher's Synopsis
Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the timeIncidents in the life of a slave, written by herself, is an autobiography of Harriet Ann Jacobs, a young mother and runaway slave, published in 1861 by L. Maria Child, who edited the book for its author. Jacobs used the nickname Linda Brent. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how he obtained freedom for her and her children. Jacobs contributed to the slave narrative genre by using the techniques of sentimental novels "to address issues of race and gender." She explores the struggles and sexual abuse that the slaves face in the plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children when their children can be sold.In the book, Jacobs addresses white women in the north who do not understand the evils of slavery. She makes a direct call to her humanity to expand her knowledge and influence her thoughts about slavery as an institution.Jacobs began composing Incidents in a slave's life after her escape to New York, while living and working at Idlewild, the home of writer and editor Nathaniel Parker Willis on the Hudson River. Some parts of his diaries were published in series in the New-York Tribune, owned and edited by Horace Greeley. Jacobs' reports of sexual abuse were considered too shocking for the average newspaper reader of the day, and the publication ceased before the narration was completed.
