ENG 145: American Literature: Beginnings to 1914

Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is one of the most compelling accounts of slavery and one of the most unique of the one hundred or so slave narratives -- mostly written by men -- published before the Civil War. The child and grandchild of slaves -- and therefore forbidden by law to read and write -- Harriet Jacobs was defiant in her efforts to gain freedom and to document her experience in bondage. She suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her master at the age of eleven. In 1842, she fled North and joined a circle of abolitionists that worked for Frederick Douglass's newspaper. In 1863, she and her daughter moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where they organized medical care for Civil War victims and established the Jacobs Free School.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the immensely powerful autobiography of Harriet Jacobs, who wrote under a pen name. A feminist work, she uses her experiences to state and restate her belief that though all unhappiness sprung from being a slave, she had to endure worse, being also a woman. Her experiences show that the only refuge and relief to be found were in other women, and also that women were less able to attempt freedom when that would mean leaving their children...

This autobiographical account by a former slave is one of the few extant narratives written by a woman. Written and published in 1861, it delivers a powerful portrayal of the brutality of slave life. Jacobs speaks frankly of her master's abuse and her eventual escape, in a tale of dauntless spirit and faith.

Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer's best friend, escapes down the Mississippi on a raft with the runaway slave, Jim. One of the iconic American novels, it caused a stir when published because of the vernacular used by Twain to characterize Jim and the people of the Mississippi. Twain's criticism of racial segregation and the treatment of slaves was thrown into turbulent criticisms at the turn of the century however, when he himself was accused of racist stereotyping and frequent use of the...

Mark Twain's masterpiece and the greatest of American novels. Tom Sawyer's best friend, Huckleberry Finn, takes center stage in this classic tale of boyhood adventure. Fleeing his drunken father and the civilizing influence of the Widow Douglas, Huck and the runaway slave Jim pilot a log raft down the mighty Mississippi River. The colorful characters and dramatic situations they encounter along the way--from bloodthirsty thieves lurking in an abandoned steamboat to a pair of aristocratic conmen dead set on robbing Arkansas blind--draw the two escapees closer together, until Huck is forced to make a fateful choice between Jim's freedom and his own salvation.   One of the first major novels written in an American vernacular, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an essential part of the national identity. Its sophisticated treatment of serious themes such as the evils of slavery, the individual versus society, and the conflicting impulses of human nature, make it as vital and important today as when it was first published more than one hundred and thirty years ago.   This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

A beautiful American girl, Daisy Miller, is pursued by the sophisticated Winterbourne, who moves in fairly conservative circles. Their courtship is frowned upon by the other Americans they meet in Switzerland and Italy because Daisy is too vivacious and flirtatious and neither belongs to, nor follows the rules of, their society. The novella is a comment on American and European attitudes towards each other and on social and cultural prejudice.

A young American woman searches for love and independence in Europe in this iconic tale. Old World and New World values collide in this classic coming-of-age romance. A delicious comedy of manners from master storyteller Henry James, Daisy Miller has long reserved its place in the annals of America's most oft-read novellas, and its examination of culture and class differences continues to resonate today--on both sides of the Atlantic.   Annie "Daisy" Miller is a new-money American girl from Schenectady, New York, on a European tour with her family. While at an upper-crust lakefront retreat in Switzerland, Daisy's younger brother, Randolph, introduces her to the older, more refined Frederick Winterbourne, and the Swiss-educated man is stunned by Daisy's unique combination of naïveté and flirtatiousness. As rumors fly regarding Daisy's active nightlife and her suspect relationship with a young Italian man, Winterbourne chases her to Rome, his meddlesome aunt questioning the girl's breeding and propriety all the while.   Rich in complex characterizations and superb in its economies of form, Daisy Miller is a must-read for serious connoisseurs of American literature, who will appreciate how James renders such an expansive world within a relatively tight space. Written by a master of his craft, this novella is easily one of James's most beloved works, timeless in its approach to the complexities of the human heart.   This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.  

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