Colonel JackLong dismissed by critics as a novel of merely historical interest, Colonel Jack is one of Daniel Defoe’s most entertaining, revealing, and complex works. It is the supposed autobiography of an English gentleman who begins life as a child of the London streets. He and his brothers are brought up as pickpockets and highwaymen, but Jack seeks to improve himself. Kidnapped and taken to America, he becomes first a slave, then an overseer on plantations in Maryland. Jack’s story is one of dramatic turns of fortune that ultimately lead to a life of law-abiding prosperity as a plantation owner. Historical appendices relate to eighteenth-century Virginia and Maryland and to contemporary crime, punishment, and imprisonment. |
Contents
List of Illustrations | 7 |
Acknowledgements | 9 |
Introduction | 11 |
A Brief Chronology | 47 |
A Note on the Text | 51 |
Colonel Jack | 57 |
Historical and PoliticalContexts | 341 |
Literary Contexts | 376 |
| 409 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Account afterwards Applebee's ask'd began better Bill Body Broadview brought Business call’d Captain Cargo carried Christian Colonel Jack colonies convicted Corregidore cou'd Creature Crime criminal Daniel Defoe Defoe Defoe’s edition England English Fellow felons Fight French gave Gentleman give Hand hang'd Havana hear heard Highwaymen honest Honour Horse House Jack's Jacobite Justice Kentish Town kind knew liv’d live London look'd Mast Master mean Merchant Mercy Misery Moggy Moll Flanders Money Mouchat Name Negroes never Newgate Newgate Prison Night novel oblig'd pass’d Peices Person Pieces of Eight Place Plantation pleas'd Pocket poor Prince Prisoners publick Puckeridge receiv'd resolv'd Robinson Crusoe Rogues says Scotland sent Servants Ship shoar Slaves Sloop Spanish story talk'd tell Thief thing thought thro tion told took Town Trade transportation us'd Vera Cruz Virginia wicked Wife Woman Word World young