Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself (New York Review Books Classics)
Popular and well-regarded in his time as a playwright and novelist, Bird (1806-1854) has slipped out of American literature, but this 1830s medley of satire mingled with moral philosophy, while a period artifact, riffs winningly on the social and political culture of Bird's America. Hoping to find buried treasure, the indolent Lee stumbles upon a "stone dead" neighbor. No sooner does he utter, "Oh, that I might be Squire Higginson!" than his wish is granted. Alas, Lee finds himself not only "with the gout and a scolding wife," but accused of murdering himself. Thus begin his peregrinations by metempsychosis, with a lesson to be had from each new body taken. As Dulmer Dawkins, Lee finds that the price of being "a favorite among the women" is debt. Arriving South a few jumps later, Lee becomes Nigger Tom, a body he soon exigently escapes, only to pick a body that suffers from "dyspepsy." From there, Lee explores the animal world (a dog), the inanimate (a coffee pot), and the dubiously historical (a French emperor). The various morals, as clear as they are, don't spoil the fun of following Lee as he tries to get back to the farm.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.