ri et ▁Jacob s ▁Inc idents ▁in ▁the ▁Life ▁of ▁a ▁S lave ▁Girl ▁initially ▁received ▁favor able ▁reviews , ▁but ▁it ▁quickly ▁lost ▁attention ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁After ▁the ▁war ▁ended , ▁readers ▁who ▁discovered ▁the ▁work ▁were ▁confused ▁as ▁to ▁the ▁identity ▁of ▁the ▁author ; ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁pseud onym , ▁some ▁thought ▁that ▁the ▁author ▁was ▁L yd ia ▁Maria ▁Child , ▁or ▁abol ition ist ▁author ▁Har ri et ▁Be e cher ▁St owe . ▁The ▁book ▁was ▁accepted ▁as ▁a ▁novel . ▁ ▁From ▁then ▁on , ▁prior ▁to ▁Y ell in ' s ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s - 1 9 8 0 s , ▁the ▁accepted ▁academic ▁opinion , ▁vo iced ▁by ▁such ▁histor ians ▁as ▁John ▁B lass ing ame , ▁was ▁that ▁Inc idents ▁in ▁the ▁Life ▁of ▁a ▁S lave ▁Girl ▁was ▁a ▁fict ional ▁novel ▁written ▁by ▁L yd ia ▁Maria ▁Child . ▁While ▁re - reading ▁Inc idents ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁project ▁to ▁educ ate ▁herself ▁in ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁gender ▁as ▁a ▁category ▁of ▁analysis , ▁Y ell in ▁became ▁interested ▁in ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁the ▁text ' s ▁true ▁author ship . ▁ ▁Over ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁a ▁six - year ▁effort , ▁Y ell in ▁found ▁and ▁used ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁historical ▁documents , ▁including ▁from ▁the ▁Amy ▁Post ▁papers ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Ro