Oroonoko, The Rover, and Other Works (Penguin Classics)

‘We are bought and sold like apes or monkeys, to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards, and the support of rogues’

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.

This new edition of Oroonoko is based on the first printed edition of 1688, and includes a chronology, bibliography and notes. In her introduction, Janet Todd examines Aphra Behn’s views of slavery, colonization and politics, and her position as a professional woman writer in the Restoration.

Customer Reviews:

Quality Kindle Edition

By Pseudonymic - February 5, 2012

I downloaded the ebook version of this text for a literature exam. I have previously read some of Behn's works, and this is a great little collection. There were one or two typos, but those were minor and no more than what you find even in print editions of books (sadly). The ebook is clean, easy to navigate, and overall a good piece of work.

As far as the book itself goes: This text contains Behn's two proto-novels (Oroonoko and The Fair Jilt), some of her love letters, a small collection of poems--some of which come from her plays--and the plays The Rover and The Widow Ranter. The selected works are different enough that readers are bound to like at least one.

A woman poet? Perish the thought!

By Mark Bruce - April 28, 2013

Yes, the title is tongue and cheek. But in her time, Aphra Behn faced the ridicule and disdain of the public because she, a woman dared make her living writing.
The prose and plays are lively and witty and sexy. Th poetry a tad more ponderous--except when she writes of such taboo subjects as premature ejaculation, when her wicked wit takes over.
Unjustly neglected, our Aphra.