Domestic Novels

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct87% picked this

   Most readers of Jacobs’s narrative when it was first published concluded that it was simply a domestic novel and were thus disinclined to see

   Why this is right

   This sounds a lot like our prediction! The best way to judge whether X overshadowed Y is to find out whether readers were still able to absorb Y, or whether they were mainly focused on X. This answer is saying they didn't even realize it was meant to make them think about the ills of slavery. They just read it as a domestic novel. That supports the critics' idea that Jacobs failed to convey her slave narrative, because it was too overshadowed by the conventions of the domestic novel.

   Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   87%
2. B

   Weakens0% picked this

   Many reviewers of Jacobs’s narrative included passionate statements in their reviews calling for the immediate

   This punches the critics' position in the face. They were saying that, "the whole slave narrative thing got drowned out by the domestic novel", and this answer is saying, "No it didn't -- a bunch of people who reviewed this book came away with an impassioned desire to immediately abolish slavery".

   0%
3. C

   Weakens7% picked this

   Most scholars believe that Jacobs’s narrative would not have been able to communicate its message effectively if it had not adopted the

   The critics were saying it was bad to use the domestic novel's conventions (it overshadowed her real message). This answer is saying it was good to use the domestic novel's conventions; the book wouldn't have communicated her message otherwise.

   7%
4. D

   Weakens, if anything2% picked this

   Jacobs’s narrative was modeled not only after domestic novels of the period but after realistic novels whose goal was

   This sounds more like how we would defend Jacobs' choice, not how we would support the critics' objection. They are saying, "By making your book seem like a domestic novel, people won't get the social injustice vibe like they do with a typical slave narrative." And this answer is saying, "Yes, but the book is specifically modeled after domestic novels that are aimed at pointing out social injustices. So the social injustice vibe is still a prominent feature of the book."

   2%
5. E

   Weakens, if anything4% picked this

   Jacobs’s goal in crafting her narrative was not only to preach against the injustices of slavery but also to tell a powerful story that

   This also sounds like a defense of Jacobs' tactic. She used the conventions of the domestic novel to tell a powerful story that would make the injustices vivid to the reader. Thus, her experiences as a slave were not overshadowed. She used the narrative to suck people in, so that they would vividly feel for the injustices she suffered.

   4%