Additionally, England was a rising empire at this point. After the Glorious Revolution, the Tory party would later try to reclaim the throne on James II’s behalf through a number of uprisings that ultimately failed. Some scholars also believe Behn may have been Catholic. Behn was a Tory Royalist, a supporter of James II who did not support the Whig party’s idea of a constitutional monarchy, or one in which Parliament gained increasing power over the monarch, who previously had supreme authority over the country. Parliament consisted of two main parties, Whig and Tory, and Whig Parliamentarians disliked the fact that James was Catholic, were suspicious of his close ties with the French government, and wanted Protestant monarchs. Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd ISBN: 9780140439885 Number of pages: 144 Weight: 112 g Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 8 mm You may also be interested in.Oroonoko was published the same year as the Glorious Revolution, a bloodless revolution in England in which Parliament replaced King James II and installed James’s daughter, Mary, and her husband, William, as joint-monarchs. If you enjoyed Oroonoko, you might like Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, also available in Penguin Classics. She turned to literature for a living, producing numerous short stories, 19 stage plays and political propaganda for the Tories. She was probably born in Kent, and in the early 1660s claims to have visited the British colony of Surinam. Little is known of Aphra Behn's (1640-1689) early life. 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.
This new edition of Oroonoko is based on the first printed version of 1688, and includes a chronology, further reading and notes. The novel also reveals Behn's ambiguous attitude to African slavery - while she favoured it as a means to strengthen England's rule, her powerful and moving work conveys its injustice and brutality. Inspired by Aphra Behn's visit to Surinam, Oroonoko reflects the author's romantic view of native peoples as noble savages in 'the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin'. Oroonoko's noble bearing soon wins the respect of his English captors, but his struggle for freedom brings about his destruction. 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.
This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction by Janet Todd. Restoration-era poet, playwright and novelist Aphra Behn was the first truly professional woman writer in English, and Oroonoko is her sophisticated and insightful condemnation of slavery.
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