Aphra Behn Essay

Paper 1; ‘Oroonoko’ by Aphra Behn and ‘The Rape of the Lock’ by Alexander Pope The relationship between gender and power dynamics is relevant to the understanding of literature through the ages. However, the widespread problematic belief that women are simply the passive, powerless victims of male power is oversimplified and outdated. Power relations, as theorized by Foucault in ‘The History of Sexuality’ are far more complex; the dynamic is ever-changing, from moment to moment and therefore any

arguably find very little difference in how they characterize women; in particular, there seems to still be a racial element of subjugation, whether intentional or not. By examining the dynamics between the feminine ‘natural’ and the masculine ‘human’ in Aphra Behn’s 1688 novel ‘Oroonoko’ and Couto’s ‘The Tuner of Silences’, published in 2009, I will argue how men and women are constructed differently in the literary sense as not only as natural beings, but also as inhabiting natural assumed roles in relation

Aphra Behn, who is the first female to achieve status of a professional playwright attempted to alter and influence the literary cannon through her writing, which was a precarious occupation but allowed literature to evolve in a wider range. Behn was also one of the wittiest and entertaining as evidenced through her most renowned play, The Rover, which is a restoration, yet dark comedy set in 17th century Italy while under the colonial reign of Spain. The large cast of characters becomes embroiled

Aphra Behn’s “The Disappointment” addresses three main conflicts regarding gender, power and sexuality. Behn challenges the traditional gender roles accepted by the British society during the 17th century; that men are always in a position of power, by making Cloris, her female character dominant over the male character Lysander and giving her the authority. Behn further challenges the position of men in being the dominant gender in the sexual sphere and discusses masculine identity and how it is

Aphra Behn’s work Oroonoko was ahead of its time in its discussion of slavery and colonization. Oroonoko revealed the negative side of the slave trading industry which was something almost unheard of in the 17th century when slave trading was a booming business and a part of everyday life. In the work it can be validated that Behn’s reason behind writing this novel in this time period was that she did not want this man’s life to be forgotten or be lost in vain. Furthermore, it is believe that Behn

As to how Aphra Behn's gender having any effect on our understanding for this story, I would say some of what could be found in the remaining records of her background might give some insight on why certain events have a more vivid description. Aphra Behn is an interesting writer, according to Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature, not much information on her background could be found in tack. This puts a lot of possible factors and influences that contributes to Behn's writing. There are some

Oroonoko is a novel by author Aphra Behn, in which Behn tried to illustrate the life of the African Prince, who was captured and made slave, Oroonoko. Behn offers criticism for the cruelest of Europeans, while still holding a bias against people of color. She ignores self-identity while focusing on the exotic other that fills the pages of her book. Though she tries to make the African character relatable, she maintains her sense of European superiority. She also portrays a somewhat accurate depiction

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko is arguably one of the most tragic novels in British Literature. The love story of two enslaved Surinam nobilities, who both meet their atrocious end, depicts shameful european history in regards of slavery. The words painted white men as vile creatures who were known to be dishonest and ruthless. Though one may say Behn’s work brought light to a subject so taboo, others argue that the novel plays into a racial narrative that minorities have struggled for centuries to break

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko; or The Royal Slave, highlights the immorality of European colonization by focusing on how it serves as a means to corrupt the purity of foreign cultures and deliberately disrupts their way of life. There is an undeniable indication of cultural corruption throughout Behn’s work. The title itself, exemplifies the intricacy of Behn’s work, due to her blatant use of binary oppositions, in order to emphasize the conflicting views of both colonizer and slave. Slaves are unlikely

heat of the sun, but, by the treatment many received from their owners as well. Despite written almost 100 years apart, two of the most famous and well known slave narratives that give the modern day reader just an idea of what slavery was like are, Aphra Behn’s “Oroonoko, or, The Royal Slave” and Olaudah Equiano’s “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”. The journey of these two young men, although in many ways are similar, from a larger perspective could not be more different.