Daniel Defoe, The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack

Stuart Sim (University of Sunderland)
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Colonel Jack

presents us with yet another of Defoe's picaresque protagonists, in a narrative structure which harks back to the tradition of spiritual autobiography (used by the author in so many of his fictional works), where the individual struggles to survive in a hostile world. In the established manner of the 'picaro', or rogue, figure popularised in earlier Spanish prose romances, and popular as the basis for fiction in Defoe's day, the hero initially ekes out a living on the margins of society, living by his wits. Various adventures take him to the Virginia colony and the continent, encompassing criminal activity and war service along the way, before he finally attains a state of personal security at the end of his life.

Jack starts life as one of the many abandoned illegitimate

1178 words

Citation: Sim, Stuart. "The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=613, accessed 19 March 2024.]

613 The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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