Search Results for: aphra-behn-a-secret-life

Biography & Autobiography Posted on

The Secret Life of Aphra Behn

Author: Janet M. Todd

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

ISBN: 9780813524559

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 545

View: 4483

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"Behn is a mass of contradictions: a high Tory who disliked traditional power structures; a powerful, autonomous woman who depended on men's approval; a woman who desired men and women and who became involved in intense political activity, yet craved case. This readable, fast-paced book uncovers Behn's assertive, duplicitous, sensual character and illustrates the openly erotic nature of her writings, her explorations of desire, sexual excitement and disappointment, which later made her a byword for lewdness. It reveals historical sources and court cases behind some of her most famous 'fictions'.".
Biography & Autobiography Posted on

Aphra Behn: A Secret Life

Author: Janet Todd

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 1448216958

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 608

View: 2038

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'Fascinating scholarship. Todd conveys Behn's vivacious character and the mores of the time' New York Times 'All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn; for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds,' said Virginia Woolf. Yet that tomb, in Westminster Abbey, records one of the few uncontested facts about this Restoration playwright, poet of the erotic and bisexual, political propagandist, novelist and spy: the date of her death, 16 April 1689. For the rest secrecy and duplicity are almost the key to her life. She loved codes, making and breaking them; writing her life becomes a decoding of a passionate but playful woman. In this revised biography, Janet Todd draws on documents she has rediscovered in the Dutch archives, and on Behn's own writings, to tell a story of court, diplomatic and sexual intrigue, and of the rise from humble origins of the first woman to earn her living as a professional writer. Aphra Behn's first notable employment was as a royal spy in Holland; she had probably also spied in Surinam. It was not until she was in her thirties that she published the first of the nineteen plays and other works which established her fame (though not riches) among her 'good, sweet, honey-candied readers'. Many of her works were openly erotic, indeed as frank as anything by her friends Wycherley and Rochester. Some also offered an inside view of court and political intrigues, and Todd reveals the historical scandals and legal cases behind some of Behn's most famous 'fictions'. Janet Todd, novelist and internationally renowned scholar, was president of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, and a Professor at Rutgers, NJ. An expert on women's writing and feminism, she has written about many writers, including Jane Austen, the Shelley Circle, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Aphra Behn. 'Ground-breaking it reads quickly and lightly. Even Todd's throwaway lines are steeped in learning' Women's Review of Books 'A major biography; of interest to everyone who cares about women as writers' Times Higher Education Supplement
Literary Criticism Posted on

The Cambridge Companion to Aphra Behn

Author: Derek Hughes,Janet Todd

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 9780521527200

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 248

View: 1213

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Traditionally known as the first professional woman writer in English, Aphra Behn has now emerged as one of the major figures of the Restoration. She provided more plays for the stage than any other author and greatly influenced the development of the novel with her ground-breaking fiction, especially Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister and Oroonoko, the first English novel set in America. Behn's work straddles the genres: beside drama and fiction, she also excelled in poetry and she made several important translations from French libertine and scientific works. This Companion discusses and introduces her writings in all these fields and provides the critical tools with which to judge their aesthetic and historical importance. It also includes a full bibliography, a detailed chronology and a description of the known facts of her life. The Companion will be an essential tool for the study of this increasingly important writer and thinker.
Literary Criticism Posted on

Colonial Women

Race and Culture in Stuart Drama

Author: Heidi Hutner

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780195349641

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 152

View: 4808

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Colonial Women examines the women-as-land metaphor in English colonial dramatic literature of the seventeenth century, and looks closely at the myths of two historical native female figures--Pocahontas of Virginia and Malinche of Mexico--to demonstrate how these two stories are crucial to constructions of gender, race, and English nationhood in the drama and culture of the period. Heidi Hutner's interpretations of the figure of the native woman in the plays of Shakespeare, Fletcher, Davenant, Dryden, and Behn reveal how the English patriarchal culture of the seventeenth century defined itself through representations of native women and European women who have "gone native." These playwrights use the figure of the native woman as a symbolic means to stabilize the turbulent sociopolitical and religious conflicts in Restoration England under the inclusive ideology of expansion and profit. Colonial Women uncovers the significance of the repeated dramatic spectacle of the native women falling for her European seducer and exploiter, and demonstrates that this image of seduction is motivated by an anxiety-laden movement to reinforce patriarchal authority in seventeenth-century England.
Fiction Posted on

Oroonoko and Other Writings

Author: Aphra Behn

Publisher: OUP Oxford

ISBN: 019164692X

Category: Fiction

Page: 320

View: 8274

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'I value fame almost as much as if I had been born a hero'. (Preface to The Lucky Chance). Aphra Behn (1640-89) achieved both fame and notoriety in her own time, enjoying considerable success for her plays and for her short novel Oroonoko, the story of a noble slave who loves a princess. Acclaimed by Virginia Woolf as the first English woman to earn her living by the pen, Behn's achievements as a writer are now acknowledged less equivocally than in the seventeenth century. As well as Oroonoko, this volume contains five other works of fiction ranging from comedy and high melodrama to tragedy. The Fair Jilt, Memoirs of the Court of the King of Bantam, The History of the Nun, The Adventure of the Black Lady, and The Unfortunate Bride are complemented by a generous selection of her poetyr, ranging from public political verse to lyrics and witty conversation poems. This selection demonstrates Behn's range, as well as her wit, compassion, and interest in the question of identity and self-representation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Biography & Autobiography Posted on

Lives of the Novelists

A History of Fiction in 294 Lives

Author: John Sutherland

Publisher: Yale University Press

ISBN: 0300182430

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 896

View: 7684

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No previous author has attempted a book such as this: a complete history of novels written in the English language, from the genre's seventeenth-century origins to the present day. In the spirit of Dr. Johnson’s Lives of the Poets, acclaimed critic and scholar John Sutherland selects 294 writers whose works illustrate the best of every kind of fiction—from gothic, penny dreadful, and pornography to fantasy, romance, and high literature. Each author was chosen, Professor Sutherland explains, because his or her books are well worth reading and are likely to remain so for at least another century. Sutherland presents these authors in chronological order, in each case deftly combining a lively and informative biographical sketch with an opinionated assessment of the writer's work. Taken together, these novelists provide both a history of the novel and a guide to its rich variety. Always entertaining, and sometimes shocking, Sutherland considers writers as diverse as Daniel Defoe, Henry James, James Joyce, Edgar Allan Poe, Virginia Woolf, Michael Crichton, Jeffrey Archer, and Jacqueline Susann. Written for all lovers of fiction, Lives of the Novelists succeeds both as introduction and re-introduction, as Sutherland presents favorite and familiar novelists in new ways and transforms the less favored and less familiar through his relentlessly fascinating readings.
Literary Criticism Posted on

The History of British Women's Writing, 1610-1690

Volume Three

Author: M. Suzuki

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 0230305504

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 339

View: 546

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During the seventeenth century, in response to political and social upheavals such as the English Civil Wars, women produced writings in both manuscript and print. This volume represents recent scholarship that has uncovered new texts as well as introduced new paradigms to further our understanding of women's literary history during this period.
Women and literature Posted on

Aphra Behn (1640-1689)

Le Modèle Européen : Actes Du Colloque Tenu en Sorbonne, 7-9 Juillet 2003

Author: Mary Ann O'Donnell,Bernard Dhuicq

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: N.A

Category: Women and literature

Page: 176

View: 7672

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History Posted on

Fear, Exclusion and Revolution

Roger Morrice and Britain in the 1680s

Author: Jason McElligott

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

ISBN: 9780754656821

Category: History

Page: 228

View: 8552

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Between the years 1677 and 1691 the puritan minister Roger Morrice compiled an astonishingly detailed record of the day-to-day public affairs in Britain. His 'Entering Book' provides a unique record of late seventeenth-century political and religious hist
Literary Criticism Posted on

The Seventeenth - Century Literature Handbook

Author: Marshall Grossman

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 9781444390117

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 392

View: 4776

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The Seventeenth Century Handbook provides the undergraduate with a succinct account of the century’s events, along with an exploration of the ways the literature reflected and helped shape the history of the time. Provides a coherent narrative of the entire century of literary history as well as an easy-to-use guide to the principal literary works and figures Offers an exploration of the ways the literature reflected and helped shape the history of the time Describes the continuities as well as the radical changes in this century of civil war and reformation Combines a central narrative account of “texts and contexts” with a selection of brief essays on key texts and topics Includes an alphabetical selection of capsule descriptions of important writers
Literary Criticism Posted on

Aphra Behn

Author: Susan Wiseman

Publisher: Northcote House Pub Limited

ISBN: N.A

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 130

View: 2346

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A fascinating critical study of the work of Aphra Behn, probably the most inventive and original woman writer of the 17th century.
Literary Collections Posted on

The Oxford Companion to English Literature

Author: Dinah Birch

Publisher: OUP Oxford

ISBN: 0191030848

Category: Literary Collections

Page: 1184

View: 2249

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The Oxford Companion to English Literature has long been established as the leading reference resource for students, teachers, scholars, and general readers of English literature. It provides unrivalled coverage of all aspects of English literature - from writers, their works, and the historical and cultural context in which they wrote, to critics, literary theory, and allusions. For the seventh edition, the Companion has been thoroughly revised and updated to meet the needs and concerns of today's students and general readers. Over 1,000 new entries have been added, ranging from new writers - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Patrick Marber, David Mitchell, Arundhati Roy - to increased coverage of writers and literary movements from around the world. Coverage of American literature has been substantially increased, with new entries on writers such as Cormac McCarthy and Amy Tan and on movements and publications. Contextual and historical coverage has also been expanded, with new entries on European history and culture, post-colonial literature, as well as writers and literary movements from around the world that have influenced English literature. The Companion has always been a quick and dependable source of reference for students, and the new edition confirms its pre-eminent role as the go-to resource of first choice. All entries have been reviewed, and details of new works, biographies, and criticism have been brought right up to date. So also has coverage of the themes, approaches and concepts encountered by students today, from terms to articles on literary theory and theorists. There is increased coverage of writers from around the world, as well as from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and of contextual topics, including film and television, music, and art. Cross-referencing has been thoroughly updated, with stronger linking from writers to thematic and conceptual entries. Meanwhile coverage of popular genres such as children's literature, science fiction, biography, reportage, crime fiction, fantasy or travel literature has been increased substantially, with new entries on writers from Philip Pullman to Anne Frank and from Anais Nin to Douglas Adams. The seventh edition of this classic Companion - now under the editorship of Dinah Birch, assisted by a team of 28 distinguished associate editors, and over 150 contributors - ensures that it retains its status as the most authoritative, informative, and accessible guide to literature available.
Muse Künstler - Biographie Posted on

Das Leben der Musen

von Lou Andreas-Salomé bis Yoko Ono

Author: Francine Prose

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: 9783312003365

Category: Muse Künstler - Biographie

Page: 459

View: 2042

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