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This book is an edited text of "Oroonoko", a seventeenth-century novel of love, passion, and the struggle for human dignity written by England's most eminent woman playwright, poet, and novelist of the day. The novel tells the story of a great African warrior who falls victim to treachery. As a result, he finds himself a slave in what is now Dutch Guinea. As an emancipation novel, the work gives insight into slave practices in both Africa and the New World Colonies. ... Read more

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Contents--The Royal Slave; The Fair Jilt; The Nun; Agnes de Castro; The Lover's Watch; The Case for the Watch; The Lady's Looking-Glass to Dress Herself By; The Lucky Mistake; The Court of the King of Bantam; The Adventure of the Black Lady. ... Read more

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CONTENTS: THE TOWN-FOP; OR, SIR TIMOTHY TAWDREY
THE FALSE COUNT
THE LUCKY CHANCE; OR, AN ALDERMAN'S BARGAIN
THE FORC'D MARRIAGE; OR, THE JEALOUS BRIDEGROOM
THE EMPEROR OF THE MOON
NOTES*** a selection from: THE TOWN-FOP; OR, SIR TIMOTHY TAWDREY. ARGUMENT. Sir Timothy Tawdrey is by the wishes of his mother and the lady's father designed for Celinda, who loves Bellmour, nephew to Lord Plotwell. A coxcomb of the first water, Sir Timothy receives a sharp rebuff when he opens his suit, and accordingly he challenges Bellmour, but fails to appear at the place of meeting. Celinda's old nurse, at night, admits Bellmour to her mistress' chamber, where they are surprized by Friendlove, her brother, who is, however, favourable to the union, the more so as he is a friend of Bellmour, and they have but newly returned from travelling together in Italy. Lord Plotwell warmly welcomes his nephew home, and proceeds to unfold his design of giving him his niece Diana in marriage. When he demurs, the old lord threatens to deprive him of his estate, and he is compelled eventually to acquiesce in the matrimonial schemes of his guardian. Bellmour sends word to Celinda, who replies in a heart-broken letter; and at the wedding feast Friendlove, who himself is deeply enamoured of Diana, appears in disguise to observe the traitor. He is followed by his sister disguised as a boy, and upon Friendlove's drawing on Bellmour a scuffle ensues which, however, ends without harm. In the nuptial chamber Bellmour informs Diana that he cannot love her and she quits him maddened with rage and disappointment. Sir Timothy serenades the newly-mated pair and is threatened by Bellmour, whilst Celinda, who has been watching the house, attacks the fop and his fiddlers. During the brawl Diana issuing forth meets Celinda, and taking her for a boy leads her into the house and shortly makes advances of love. They are interrupted by Friendlove, disguised, and he receives Diana's commands to seek out and challenge Bellmour. At the same time he reveals his love as though he told the tale of another, but he is met with scorn and only bidden to fight the husband who has repulsed her. Bellmour, meantime, in despair and rage at his misery plunges into reckless debauchery, and in company with Sir Timothy visits a bagnio, where they meet Betty Flauntit, the knight's kept mistress, and other cyprians. Hither they are tracked by Charles, Bellmour's younger brother, and Trusty, Lord Plotwell's old steward. Sharp words pass, the brothers fight and Charles is slighted wounded. Their Uncle hears of this with much indignation, and at the same time receiving a letter from Diana begging for a divorce, he announces his intention to further her purpose, and to abandon wholly Charles and Phillis, his sister, in consequence of their elder brother's conduct. Sir Timothy, induced by old Trusty, begins a warm courtship of Phillis, and arranges with a parasite named Sham to deceive her by a mock marriage. Sham, however, procures a real parson, and Sir Timothy is for the moment afraid he has got a wife without a dowry or portion. Lord Plotwell eventually promises to provide for her, and at Diana's request, now she recognizes her mistake in trying to hold a man who does not love her, Bellmour is forgiven and allowed to wed Celinda as soon as the divorce has been pronounced, whilst Diana herself rewards Friendlove with her hand. ... Read more

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Aphra Behn's work has been subject to critical fashion, and her literary reputation was only really secured in the closing decade of the 20th century, especially by new historicist and feminist critics. The essays collected here represent a range of contemporary critical views, discussing both Behn's drama and her prose writings. Todd provides an introduction mapping Behn's literary reception, situating the works of the critics included in a broader literary context and pointing towards Behn as a newly politicized figure at the close of the 20th century. ... Read more

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Aphra Behn used theatre asa forum to highlight complex social issues, particularly those regarding genderroles, sugarcoated within the genre of comedy.  Inequality for women, forced marriage, the sexual doublestandard, and the perils of female powerlessness are themes to which Behnreturns repeatedly.  She kept heraudiences captivated with clever plots and witty dialogue, beautiful poetry andsophisticated intellectual arguments, inventive use of staging and risquéromantic scenarios.  It was from this platform that Behn drew attention toviolence and injustice against women.

Nine of AphraBehn's plays include scenes of sexual coercion, equating to almost half of herdramatic work, indicating her preoccupation with seduction, domination andvictimization, and the artistic representation of ravishment.  Simultaneously, she appears both afeminist in her compassion for the powerless and oppressed, and anti-feministin her seemingly cavalier return to the status quo.  Most importantly, Behn is unique in the means by which sheportrays attempted rape in her comedies, and how her treatment differs from hercontemporaries.   The Ravishing Restoration delves deeplyinto how and why Behn utilizes sexual violence in her plays, and critiques thecritical impact that her scenes have in shaping and defining the comedy ofintrigue genre.   It assesseshow her creations are unique, complex, visual dynamics performances, and wouldbe of interest to scholars and students in the fields of theatre,seventeenth-century English literature, and women's studies.
 
 
--Author ... Read more

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The personal history of Aphra Behn, the first Englishwoman to earn her livelihood by authorship, is unusually interesting but very difficult to unravel and relate. In dealing with her biography writers at different periods have rushed headlong to extremes, and we now find that the pendulum has swung to its fullest stretch. On the one hand, we have prefixed to a collection of the _Histories and Novels_, published in 1696, 'The Life of Mrs. Behn written by one of the Fair Sex', a frequently reprinted (and even expanded) compilation crowded with romantic incidents that savour all too strongly of the Italian novella, with sentimental epistolography and details which can but be accepted cautiously and in part. On the other there have recently appeared two revolutionary essays by Dr. Ernest Bernbaum of Harvard, 'Mrs. Behn's _Oroonoko_', ... Read more

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Aphra Behn (1640-89) was a popular poet, author of the influential novel Oroonoko, and one of the most successful dramatists of the Restoration theater.Behn led an unusually active and eventful life for a woman of her era, traveling widely—to Surinam in 1663 and to Antwerp in 1666, where Charles II sent her as a spy during the Anglo-Dutch war.Returning to England she spent some time in a debtor's prison and subsequently devoted herself to writing, publishing numerous poems and almost twenty plays between 1670 and 1689.

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Written expressly for those with no previous knowledge of Shakespeare or Behn, the contributors focus on three of Shakespeare's most widely-studied plays, Henry V, Othello and As You Like It.As a contrast, Aphra Behn's restoration comedy The Rover is studied as an example of a play which was highly popular in its own time, but, in later times, neglected from the canon. Shakespeare, Aphra Behn and the Canon places both authors in historical context and offers passages of text and criticism in each chapter followed by detailed discussion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a worn out reader
iv just finished reading this book as part of my ou literature course,if you want an easy read go elsewhere, however if your pretty inteligent and you really want to learn about shakespeare and aprha behn then this is the right book.
beware reading this could change your life. ... Read more

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This is a fascinating critical study of the work of Aphra Behn, probably the most inventive and original woman writer of the 17th century. ' ... Read more

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An excellent resource for Behn scholars.
Behn scholars, take heart! Here is a solid and enjoyable introduction to, and examination of, Aphra Behn's writings.Susan Wiseman concentrates on the author's work, looking at prose, poetry and drama and giving each equal weight.She also provides historical and political context where appropriate, and keeps any biographical speculation -- so tempting with the elusive Mrs. Behn -- to a minimum.This is an indispensable resource for any serious student of Aphra Behn's work ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Contains: Abdelazer; Or, The Moor's Revenge; The Young King; Or, The Mistake; The City Heiress; Or, Sir Timothy Treat-all; The Feign'd Curtezans; Or, A Night's Intrigue. Edited By Montague Summers. ... Read more

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During the 19 years of her play-writing career, Aphra Behn had far more new plays staged than anyone else. This book is the first to examine all her theatrical work. It explains her often dominant place in the complex theatrical culture of Charles II's reign, her divided political sympathies, and her interests as a free-thinking intellectual. It also reveals her to be a brilliant theatrical practitioner who used the seen as richly and significantly as the spoken. ... Read more