Oroonoko or The Royal Slave

by Aphra Behn

Overview

Oroonoko is a fictional novelette originally published in 1688 by Aphra Behn. It is the tale of a tragic love affair between an African slave and a woman beyond his reach. Considered a classic, it has been called the first English novel.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940148993254
Publisher:	Epistemic Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	126 KB

About the Author

Behn worked for Charles II as a spy during the outset of the Second Dutch War, ending up destitute when she returned to England, and even spending time in a debtors' prison, because Charles failed to pay her properly, or at all. She turned her hand to writing in order to survive, with remarkable success. She wrote poetry that sold well, and had a number of plays staged, which established her fame in her own lifetime. In the 1670s, only John Dryden had plays staged more often than Behn. She began to write extended narrative prose toward the end of her career. Published less than a year before she died, Oroonoko is one of the earliest English novels. Interest in it has increased since the 1970s, critics arguing that Behn is the foremother of British women writers, and that Oroonoko is a crucial text in the history of the novel.