Cover of Oroonoko by Aphra Behn Ebook Oroonoko
Ebook · Sovereign

Oroonoko

Author
Aphra Behn
Series
Timeless Classics
Language
English
Length
82 pages
ISBN
9781911495581
Published
24 July 2016
Imprint
Sovereign
  • Aphra Behn
  • drama
  • play
  • poetry
  • social order
  • Oroonoko
  • gender
  • equality
  • women
  • colonial

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Description

Oroonoko, one of the earliest English novels, tells the tragic tale of an African prince enslaved in the European colony of Surinam. Noble and courageous, Oroonoko is captured through deceit and sold into bondage, where he endures the brutal realities of slavery while clinging to his dignity and love for the beautiful slave Imoinda. Behn’s narrative blends romance, political critique, and early abolitionist sentiment, offering both admiration for her hero and a complex portrayal of colonial power. A poignant and controversial work, it remains a landmark in literature for its exploration of race, honor, and human rights in the 17th-century world.

Author

Aphra Behn was a British playwright, poet, translator and fiction writer from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations of women authors. Rising from obscurity, she came to the notice of Charles II, who employed her as a spy in Antwerp. She wrote under the pastoral pseudonym Astrea.

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