Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Aphra Behn (Author), Janet Todd (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: June 1, 1996

Perhaps the first long novel in the English language, this book is loosely based on the adulterous affair between Lord Grey, a prominent Whig noble closely involved in the Monmouth rebellion and the Rye House plot, and his sister-in-law, Lady Henrietta Berkeley.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aphra Behn was a prolific Restoration-era playwright and one of England's first professional women writers. In 1663, she visited a Venezuelan sugar colony and met a slave trader, and what she saw there formed the basis for what is now her most famous work Oroonoko. Behn was a Catholic supporter and a Tory, a bisexual and a political spy. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 524 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140435379
• ISBN-13: 978-0140435375
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sexuality and desire, May 20, 2000

By 

Mimy Mac - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Aphra Behn's Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister reveals the progress of the consciousness of the once innocent and naive Sylvia, who, after being seduced into an affair with her brother-in-law, Philander, learns of her own sexuality and desires.

Behn's novel is not only an exploration of the sexual politics of the socety in which she lived in, but also, an examination of the notions of gender and identity. The exchange of love letters between Sylvia and Philander allows readers to sense the intimacy between the two couple, but most importanly, it allows readers to follow the transformantion of Sylvia's identity from lady to whore. Behn conveys the double standard that exists in her society, and perhaps our society as well. Philander, after his lover affair and scandal is still a lord, but unfortunately for Sylvia, once 'undone' is no longer a lady.

This book was useful in helping me understand the sexual politics of seventeenth-century English society.

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Have a barf bag ready, July 2, 2009

By 

Phil - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister (Kindle Edition)

The 'sister' in the title is actually a sister-in-law. During the Huguenot wars in France (the late 1500s), Philander married Myrtilla and then ran off with her sister Sylvia. These letters are between Philander and Sylvia, and at first they are thoroughly nauseating. They're loaded with trembling sighs and heaving bosoms and anguished glances, and frequent uses of Oh! and Alas! This goes on for hours. Things improve in the second half of the book, as the previous reviewer describes. I recommend doing a lot of skimming until you notice the exclamation points reducing in frequency, and then the characters start to mature a little.