This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

The Rover, or, The Banished Cavaliers is the most popular play by the Restoration playwright (and spy) Aphra Behn, first performed in 1677. Although Behn's work as a spy for Charles II came to a sudden end with a spell in debtor's prison, she was a stout Royalist, and the title refers to Charles' supporters, who were living in exile on the Continent. In the tradition of Restoration comedy, the play follows the wild exploits of a group of English gentlemen in Naples at Carnival time, although many of the tropes of the genre are subverted to an extent which sent shockwaves through the theatre world. Behn's infamous libertine Willmore was an instant hit, and The Rover catapulted her to overnight fame, and brought her an income from the box office, making her one of the first women to earn a living by their pen.

After learning how to fight at a young age, Oroonoko, an African prince, fights alongside his army against invading forces. When a celebrated general saves Oroonoko's life, trading his own to take an arrow for Oroonoko, the young prince feels indebted to the man and decides to go pay his respects to the late general's family. There, he meets Imoinda, the daughter of the general. Oroonoko and Imoinda quickly fall in love and become betrothed, but the King, Oroonoko's father, hears of Imoinda's beauty and decides to take her as one of his wives. When Oroonoko and Imoinda rebel against this, the King sells Imoinda into slavery. Heartbroken, Oroonoko goes back to war, only to be tricked and captured by a British general. After the British general sells Oroonoko into slavery, he is reunited with Imoinda, as they are sold to work on the same plantation. This joy is short lived, as the horrors of slavery take its toll. When Imoinda becomes pregnant, the couple decide to do whatever it takes to ensure the best life for their child. They beg to be emancipated, but the plantation owner hardly considers their request, forcing Oroonoko to take his freedom back by force. With a lifetime of training, the love of his life at his side, and a dedication to regain his freedom, Oroonoko must lead a slave rebellion, risking everything he has for what he and his family should have: freedom. Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave has earned acclaim from both literary critics and historians. When it was originally published in 1688, less than a year before author Aphra Behn died, Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave did not receive immediate attention. However, Behn's work did gain popularity after a stage version of the novel was released in 1695. While the accuracy of the novel's plot has been questioned and debated by historians, Oroonoko: or The Royal Slave has earned cultural and historical significance by being claimed as one of the first novels written in English. Along with its prolific and innovative writer, the novel has earned significance that is still admirable today. Now redesigned with an eye-catching cover and reprinted in a modern font, Oroonoko: or The Royal Slave by Aphra Behn is accessible for a modern audience.

The editor supplies explanatory annotations and textual notes. "Historical Backgrounds" is an especially rich collection of seventeenth-and eighteenth-century documents about colonizers and slaves in the new world. Topically arranged-"Montaigne on America," "The Settling of Surinam," "Observers of Slavery, 1654 1712," "After Oroonoko Noble Africans in Europe," and "Opinions on Slavery"-these selections create a revealing context for Behn s unusual story. Illustrations and maps are also included. "Criticism" begins with an overview of responses to Behn and Oroonoko, from learned and popular writers of her time to Sir Walter Scott and Virginia Woolf, among others. Current critical interpretations are by William C. Spengemann, Jane Spencer, Robert L. Chibka, Laura Brown, Charlotte Sussman, and Mary Beth Rose. A Chronology of Behn s life and a Selected Bibliography are included."

'One no more owes one's beauty to a lover, than one's wit to an echo.' With the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the republican ban on organised theatre was lifted - and plays exploded back onto the public stage with newfound relish. The arrival of actresses for the first time encouraged a great sense of release, which expressed itself in the form of sophisticated comedies exploring the sexual behaviour and moralities of society. This volume features three of the most popular Restoration Comedies: The Country Wife by William Wycherley - a supremely bawdy comedy in which the aptly named Horner pretends to be a eunuch in order to seduce women under the noses of their husbands. The Way of the World by William Congreve - a brilliant comedy of manners, complete with dashing suitor, rich heiress and vengeful aunt. The Rover by Aphra Behn - the classic Restoration comedy by one of the earliest and most celebrated female playwrights. There is also a full introduction about the plays, playwrights and the period, and a glossary of unfamiliar words. The Drama Classic Collections bring together the most popular plays from a single author or a particular period. They offer students, actors and theatregoers a series of uncluttered, accessible editions, accompanied by comprehensive introductions.

The best-known work by Aphra Behn, widely considered the first professional woman writer in England, Oroonoko is an important contribution to the development of the novel in English. Though it predates the British abolition movement by more than a century, it is also an early depiction of the dehumanizing racial violence of slavery: Oroonoko tells of a noble African prince enslaved and taken to Surinam, where he leads a violent revolt of the enslaved. When the revolt fails, circumstances force him to kill his wife, the beautiful Imoinda, before he is himself executed, dying with honor. This edition is accompanied by an informative introduction and contextual materials situating Oroonoko in the context of seventeenth-century slavery and the colonization of Surinam. Contextual materials also address the early reception of Oroonoko, including Thomas Southerne's popular stage adaptation of the narrative.

This edition of Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko" features a generous selection of thematically organized historical materials including explorers' descriptions of the "New World" of the Caribbean, planters' accounts of the sugar colonies, first hand accounts of the slave trade from Dutch and English traders and abducted Africans, and early abolitionist publications by Europeans and former slaves. Excerpts from works by Ben Jonson, John Dryden, Richard Steele and Daniel Defoe enrich students' understanding of the literary contexts for Behn's portrayal of "blackness" in "Oroonoko".

'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.

First published in 1688, Oroonoko, or, The Royal Slave is a short, politically charged novella by the Restoration playwright - and spy - Aphra Behn, and is arguably one of the founding texts of the novel form. Purporting to chart the life of an African prince, Oroonoko, who is tricked into slavery and taken to South America, the narrative follows the Prince through his trials of love, loss and rebellion. Vying for the title of the first English novel - and certainly the first to be read as an indictment of the treatment of Africans - Oroonoko has all the hallmarks of Behn's stage works, which are widely considered to be amongst the most important of the Restoration period.