A new single-volume edition of an early anti-slavery novel
When Prince Oroonoko's passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy of his grandfather, the lovers are cast into slavery and transported from Africa to the colony of Surinam. Oroonoko's noble bearing soon wins the respect of his English captors, but his struggle for freedom brings about his destruction. Inspired by Aphra Behn's visit to Surinam, Oroonoko reflects the author's romantic views of native peoples as being in "the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin." The novel also reveals...
A new single-volume edition of an early anti-slavery novel
When Prince Oroonoko's passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy ...
"Historical Backgrounds" is an especially rich collection of seventeenth-and eighteenth-century documents about colonizers and slaves in the new world. Topically arranged-"Montaigne on America," "The Settling of Surinam," "Observers of Slavery, 1654-1712," "AfterOroonoko: Noble Africans in Europe," and "Opinions on Slavery"-these selections create a revealing context for Behn's unusual story. Illustrations and maps are also included. "Criticism" begins with an overview of responses to Behn and Oroonoko, from learned and popular writers of her time to Sir Walter Scott and Virginia...
"Historical Backgrounds" is an especially rich collection of seventeenth-and eighteenth-century documents about colonizers and slaves in the new world...
"We are bought and sold like apes or monkeys, to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards, and the support of rogues"
When Prince Oroonoko s passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy of his grandfather, the lovers are cast into slavery and transported from Africa to the colony of Surinam. Oroonoko s noble bearing soon wins the respect of his English captors, but his struggle for freedom brings about his destruction. Inspired by Aphra Behn s visit to Surinam, Oroonoko (1688) reflects the author s romantic view of Native Americans as simple, superior peoples in the...
"We are bought and sold like apes or monkeys, to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards, and the support of rogues"
The most complete collection of the work of Aphra Behn (1640-89) available, this volume contains Oroonoko and five other works of fiction ranging from comedy and high melodrama to tragedy. The works included--The Fair Jilt, Memoirs of the Court of the King of Bantam, The History of the Nun, The Adventure of the Black Lady, and The Unfortunate Bride--are complemented by a generous selection of her poetry from public political verse to lyrics and witty conversation poems. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from...
The most complete collection of the work of Aphra Behn (1640-89) available, this volume contains Oroonoko and five other works of fiction ranging from...
Aphra Behn (1640-89) was both successful and controversial in her own lifetime; her achievements are now recognized less equivocally and her plays, often revived, demonstrate wit, compassion and remarkable range. This edition brings together her most important comedies in a single volume: The Rover, her best-known play; The Feigned Courtesans, a lively comedy of intrigue; The Lucky Chance, a comedy with a bitter edge, which takes a satirical look at marriage customs; and the dazzling and popular farce, The Emperor of the Moon. All the plays have been newly edited and are presented with...
Aphra Behn (1640-89) was both successful and controversial in her own lifetime; her achievements are now recognized less equivocally and her plays, of...
Carnival time in The Rover is a period when prohibitions are temporarily removed, privileges and rank suspended, and women - from convent girls to courtesans - take the initiative. Featuring multiple plot lines, which deal with the adventures of a group of love-struck Englishmen in Naples, Aphra Behn's play explores issues of love, trickery and deception, forced marriage, male power, fidelity, and the excesses of sexual passion. Hers is a male-dominated society, but one with a clear-sighted portrayal of the female predicament.
The play is widely taught on A Level courses as...
Carnival time in The Rover is a period when prohibitions are temporarily removed, privileges and rank suspended, and women - from convent gi...
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) is renowned as the first professional woman of literature and drama in English. Best-known for her plays, she also wrote fiction, poetry, and translations, and edited verse collections. This edition includes comprehensively introduced and fully annotated texts of all works known or plausibly believed to be hers.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) is renowned as the first professional woman of literature and drama in English. Best-known for her plays, she also wrote fictio...
