Oroonoko Summary
Aphra Behn

Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave: A True History by Aphra Behn Little is known about the enigmatic Aphra Behn other than the fact that she was the first Englishwoman to write professionally. She is bel... Read more

In the following essay, Brownley discusses Behn 's handling of the narrator in Oroonoko, asserting that the narrative persona is used "to unify and to add realism to disparate elements&#... Read more

In the following essay, Zimbardo argues that Behn's skill in using established as well as newly developing styles of discourse is evident in Oroonoko. In his brilliant book, The Discourse of... Read more

In the essay below, Hoegberg explores the idea of power struggle in Oroonoko, noting Behn's allusions to Achilles and Julius Caesar. But those who came prepared for the business enclosed hi... Read more

In the excerpt below, Sackville-West argues that Behn limited herself to exotic subjects instead of depicting life in her native Britain. Some concluding estimate of Mrs Behn's work [is] ine... Read more

In the following excerpt, Spengemann argues that Behn's efforts to create a novel popular with the public resulted in a noteworthy and remarkable work. Reading Oroonoko, as we necessarily do... Read more

In the following excerpt, McKeon explores the issue of authenticity in Oroonoko, arguing that Behn idolizes Surinam. No mode of discourse is more likely to avail itself of the "strange, ther... Read more

SOURCE: "Romantic Love-Prose Fiction," in Virtue of Necessity: English Women's Writing, 1646–1688, Virago Press Limited, 1988, pp. 85–101. … Aphra Behn�... Read more

In the following essay, MacDonald discusses why the character of Oronooko's black African wife, Imoinda, in Aphra Behn's novel Oroonoko is depicted as white in later adaptations of the w... Read more

Essay #1 In life and in literature, love and passion often drive a man to succeed. The drive was often led by a passionate cause, such as a woman. With this passion, a man could defy all obstacles a... Read more