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Aphra BehnThe English SapphoGeorge Woodcock |
Aphra Behn
The English Sappho
George Woodcock
 |
Using the turbulent period of
the Restoration as a backdrop, George Woodcock brings to
life the spirit and the passion of no ordinary character
in this literary biography. By bringing to the foreground
the literary and dramatic qualities of the early plays,
Woodcock identifies and discusses Behn's ideas on female
equality, on dramatic writing, and on the wolrd in which
she lived. From her career as a secret agent to her
triumphant entery into the theatre, and into the world of
literature at large, the multi-dimensionality of this
fascinating woman unfolds. Her condemnation of slavery, her unrelenting attacks on the institution of marriage, her wish to subvert the authority of parents, her uncompromising feminism, and her mocking derision of academic learning, with its attempts to restrict and formalize literature, all speak of a personality with passionate opinions and the courage to sustain them. "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." "A valuable introduction to this
remarkable woman who was a pioneer feminist." |
248 pages, index
Paperback ISBN: 0-921689-40-3 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 0-921689-41-1 $48.99
