Three-Fingered Jack," the protagonist of this 1800 novel, is based on the escaped slave and Jamaican folk
hero Jack Mansong, who was believed to have gained his strength from the Afro-Caribbean religion of obeah, or "obi."
His story, told in an inventive mix of styles, is a rousing and sympathetic account of an individual's attempt
to combat slavery while defending family honour. Historically significant for its portrayal of a slave rebellion
and of the practice of obeah, Obi is also a fast-paced and lively novel, blending religion, politics, and romance.
This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and a selection of contemporary documents, including historical
and literary treatments of obeah and accounts of an eighteenth-century slave rebellion.
Table of Contents
From Benjamin Moseley, A Treatise on Sugar (1799)
From House of Commons Sessional Papers (1789)
From Matthew Gregory Lewis, Journal of a West India Proprietor, Kept During a Residence in the Island of Jamaica
(1834)
Appendix B: Accounts of Tacky's Rebellion (1760)
From Edward Long, The History of Jamaica (1774)
From Bryan Edwards, Observations on the Disposition, Character, Manners, and Habits of Life, of the Maroons (1796)
Appendix C: Literary Treatments of Obeah
From James Grainger, The Sugar Cane: A Poem. In Four Books (1764)
John Fawcett, Obi; or, Three-Finger'd Jack (1800)
From Maria Edgeworth, "The Grateful Negro," Popular Tales (1804)
Select Bibliography
