“Pathetic and impressive”: recovering the role of American sentimental novels in the fiction/morality conflict (original) (raw)

This paper explores the role of American sentimental novels in the context of morality, focusing on authors such as Harriet Jacobs. It argues that sentimentality serves as a communication mode among readers and authors, fostering moral awareness and community. By examining Jacobs' memoir "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," the paper highlights the intersection of race, gender, and literacy within the sentimental genre, questioning the moral implications of literary conventions and the representation of marginalized voices in American literature.