Oroonoko, Aphra Behn - An A-Z post

Picture from world80books.blogspot.com

Oroonoko is the story of an African prince who falls in love with a girl that his grandfather, the King, also has an eye for. The girls feelings are reciprocated to the Prince and they agree to marry.

Unfortunately the King takes exception to this and claims her as part of his harem, and when the Prince stages a failed rescue he is sold as a slave as punishment and his wife is killed.

The Prince is sent to Surinam where he is put into a slave camp, but his fellows recognise him as royalty and treat him accordingly. Although he doesn't live the life that the other slaves do, and has certain privileges afforded him by the colonists at the end of the day he knows he is still just a slave with no hope of a free life.

Aphra Behn is considered to be the first woman in England to make her living by writing. She wrote many plays as well as poetry and made significant contributions to the early development of the novel.

I enjoyed reading Oroonoko and would never have discovered it if not for this course. It is the only novel so far that has actually moved me to tears in reading it.




  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. To get involved and check out other blogs taking part just click here. You won't be disappointed!


   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~