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Aphra Behn, The 'Rebel' by Sofea Lony (195247)



Aphra Behn, The 'Rebel'



Portrait of Aphra Behn by Sir Peter Lely

Aphra Behn is considered as the first professional female English writer. Of course, her origins are considered mysterious but most agree that her born name was Aphra Johnson, around the 1640s however, there was no actual ‘evidence’ of her background. Despite her questionable parentage, Aphra Behn is certainly a very interesting character. She was a woman who had no fear; who did not ‘beat around the bushes’ with her candid thoughts. Her frankness when addressing subjects like female orgasm, male impotence as well as bisexualism and indefiniteness of genders, were all too riveting.
            It is well noted that females in that era did not possess the freedom, if any, like the women in modern times. I feel as if Aphra Behn did not receive the recognition that she truly deserves, albeit her lack of virtue in her private/sexual life. Virginia Woolf, a novelist wrote, “All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn . . . For it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” Behn was not considered of any importance until the 20th century when the said Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West took notice and revamped her as a ‘symbol of modern feminism.’
            Aphra Behn was more than just a poet or a playwright, she was a scandalously adventurous woman. She was a spy for Charles II under the code name Astrea, an inmate in debtor’s prison, as well as being called a ‘whore’ as a writer throughout her time including a lot of (male) critics after. But for the most part, people were appalled by her beliefs. She believed that the king had divine rights, and advocated aristocracy. This was shown in her most famous work, Oroonoko. Although some sided with the idea that Oroonoko was a call to abolish slavery, some might disagree.
            A YouTube user, tirralirra, explained that Oroonoko, the main protagonist, ‘whose slow and calm death is meant to highlight his strength and to differentiate him from mere mortals who do not have royal blood.’ This notion could be justified as most of her dramas that she wrote demonstrates her compulsion towards the idea of nobility, rank, and honour. However much her work included obvious feminist and anti-slavery messages, her ideals were undoubtedly questionable.
            This being said, Aphra Behn could have easily been a truly remarkable writer if not because of her somewhat impoverish life that has bound her to earn a living for herself. It would have been interesting to see how she would’ve been as a female writer if she wasn’t constrained by her class in society during her time.

by Sofea binti Lony (195247)

Sources

Rumens, C. (2010, February 22). Poem of the week: A Letter to a Brother of the Pen in
Tribulation by Aphra Behn. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/feb/22/poem-of-the-week-aphra-behn

Snyder, N. (2016, July 05). Poetic Feminism in Aphra Behn's 17th Century Poem "The
Disappointment". Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analyisis-of-Aphra-Behns-18th-Century-Poem-The-Disappointment

J. (2017, August 06). The First English Woman to Make a Living as a Writer Was Also a
Spy. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://lithub.com/the-first-english-woman-to-make-a-living-as-a-writer-was-also-a-spy/

Webb, B. (2007, November 13). Aphra Behn: Still a radical example. Retrieved March 27,
2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2007/nov/13/aphrabehnstillaradicalexa

Williams, A., & O'Connor, K. (n.d.). Who is Aphra Behn? Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
            https://writersinspire.org/content/who-aphra-behn

Tirralirra. (2017, March 6). Restoration Literature: Aphra Behn [Video file]. Retrieved from
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJuf7lc4Z48&t=316s

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