Oroonoko, The Rover, and Other Works (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Aphra Behn (Author), Janet Todd (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: August 11, 1999

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 first state of innocence, before men knew how to sin'. The novel also reveals Behn's ambiguous attitude to African slavery - while she favoured it as a means to strengthen England's power, her powerful and moving work conveys its injustice and brutality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Aphra Behn, considered the first professional female writer in English, produced literature in a variety of genres during the middle of the seventeenth century. Her work combines themes of passion, intrigue, and honor, and her prose is romantic in the classic sense. Oroonoko, The Rover and Other Works are as enlightening as they are entertaining, a mixture of reportage and high adventure. In "The Fair Jilt," the beautiful and treacherous Miranda is chaperoned in a convent while deciding which of her many suitors she will have. When denied her first choice, she is quick to exact her revenge. "Oroonoko" is the tale of a young African prince who is tricked into slavery and brought to Surinam. When he meets up again with the lover he believed was dead, he is doubly determined to live free or die. What is remarkable about these stories is the tremendous willpower of the characters. Aphra Behn's protagonists clearly reflect her own passion for life, a spirit which led her to write in a letter to a male colleague: "All I ask is the privilege... to tread in those successful paths my predecessors have so long thrived in ... If I must not because of my sex, have this freedom, but that you will usurp all to yourselves; I lay down my quill and you shall have no more of me." Fortunately, Aphra Behn persevered and her work, like her life - unhampered by either modesty or apology - exudes a rare vitality. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Sonja Larsen

About the Author

Aphra Behn (c. 1640-1689), born in Kent, England, claimed to have visited the British colony of Surinam, where Oroonoko is set. She wrote poetry, short stories, stage plays, and political propaganda for the Tory party, as well as her great amorous and political novel, Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; 1st edition (August 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140433384
• ISBN-13: 978-0140433388
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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