Author Description
'the Degradations, The Wrongs, The Vices, That Grow Out Of Slavery, Are More Than I Can Describe.' Harriet Jacobs Was Born A Slave In The American South And Went On To Write One Of The Most Extraordinary Slave Narratives. First Published Pseudonymously In 1861, Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Describes Jacobs's Treatment At The Hands Of Her Owners, Her Eventual Escape To The North, And Her Perilous Existence Evading Recapture As A Fugitive Slave. To Save Herself From Sexual Assault And Protect Her Children She Is Forced To Hide For Seven Years In A Tiny Attic Space, Suffering Terrible Psychological And Physical Pain. Written To Expose The Appalling Treatment Of Slaves In The South And The Racism Of The Free North, And To Advance The Abolitionist Cause, Incidents Is Notable For Its Careful Construction And Literary Effects. Jacobs's Story Of Self-emancipation And A Growing Feminist Consciousness Is The Tale Of An Individual And A Searing Indictment Of Slavery's Inhumanity. This Edition Includes The Short Memoir By Jacobs's Brother, John S. Jacobs, 'a True Tale Of Slavery'. About The Series: For Over 100 Years Oxford World's Classics Has Made Available The Widest Range Of Literature From Around The Globe. Each Affordable Volume Reflects Oxford's Commitment To Scholarship, Providing The Most Accurate Text Plus A Wealth Of Other Valuable Features, Including Expert Introductions By Leading Authorities, Helpful Notes To Clarify The Text, Up-to-date Bibliographies For Further Study, And Much More.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How does the institution of slavery systematically dehumanize individuals and what specific strategies of resistance are available to those trapped within its grasp? Harriet Jacobs, writing from her own lived experience as an enslaved woman in the American South, provides a detailed account of the physical and psychological toll of bondage. She utilizes her personal narrative to argue against the moral bankruptcy of slavery and to expose the specific vulnerabilities faced by enslaved women, ultimately advocating for the abolitionist cause through the lens of her own pursuit of freedom.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A detailed account of life under the ownership of a predatory master in North Carolina.
- A description of the seven-year period spent in a cramped attic crawlspace to evade capture.
- Primary source documentation of the intersection between racial oppression and gender-based violence.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of the entire American slave system, focusing instead on the specific regional and personal experiences of the author.
- It does not offer an objective academic analysis of the economic structures of the South, but rather a subjective, experiential critique.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and historians recognize this work as a foundational text in the canon of American slave narratives, frequently citing its unique focus on the gendered experiences of enslavement. Readers often note the stark, unvarnished prose that effectively conveys the psychological intensity of the author's struggle for autonomy.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2015-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191019798
ISBN-13:
9780191019791
Memoir
Autobiography
History
Abolitionist Literature
American History