Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn (December 14, 1640 –April 16, 1689) was a playwright, poet, and novelist known for being the first
British woman to earn her living by her writing.Born in Wye, Kent, England, as a child she was taken to
Suriname (presumably by her parents), which at the time was an English possession.

While there, Aphra discovered the legend of the African prince Oroonoko and his beloved Imoinda. This later
inspired what became her best-known novel, Oroonoko.

 A return to England from Suriname

Aphra returned to England some time between 1658 and 1664, having come of age. Shortly after her supposed
return to England from Suriname, Behn may have married Johan (also written as Johann or John) Behn. Very
little is known about him, other than that he was German or Dutch and possibly a merchant.

Aphra’s wit and charm somehow brought her into the court of Charles II, and the king sent her on secret
service as a political spy in Antwerp during the second Anglo-Dutch war. She used the code name Astrea,
which she later used as a nom de plume for some of her writings. Though she successfully accomplished the
objects of her mission, legend had it that she was never paid for her spy services. Returning to England
penniless, it’s often reported that she went to debtors’ prison, though this part of the story may or may not be
true.

It was from this time onward that she supported herself by her writings. Among her plays wereThe Forced
Marriage, or the Jealous Bridegroom (1671); The Amorous Prince (1671); The Town Fop (1677); and The Rover,
or the Banished Cavalier (in two parts, 1677 and 1681), The Debauchee (1677), The Counterfeit
Bridegroom (1677), and The Roundheads (1682).The Rover (1677) was arguably her most successful play, and
remains one of her best known. King Charles II’s mistress, Nell Gwyn was a famous actress who came out of
retirement to play the role of the whore, Angelica Bianca. Behn was severely criticized by some for writing in a
“coarse” or “masculine” style, which is to say that she included themes of sexual desire in her works.
Occasionally, she wrote of love between women, leading some to later call her the “English Sappho.”

Aphra Behn's 1688 novel, Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave is a fictional account of the titular characte's life. It
follows Oroonoko, an African prince, who is tricked in slavery and eventually leads a rebellion.

Oroonoko Summary

 Oroonoko is introduced as an attractive and noble warrior, which is greatly emphasized. As the last
descendent of the King of Coramantien , he is trained away from his homeland under a strong militant.
When he turns seventeen he becomes general and returns home, where he meets Imoinda, who is
comparable in beauty and virtue. The two immediately fall in love.
 When the King hears of the beauty of Imoinda, he steals her as a concubine, despite knowing of her
relationship with his grandson, Oroonoko. Upset with her loyalty to Oroonoko, the King sells her into
slavery. The King lies to Oroonoko and tells him that he killed Imoinda. He knew that slavery was worse
than death and was afraid of the consequences of his actions.
 While selling captives as slaves to the British, Oroonoko and his friends are invited to view the ship. Not
knowing this is a trick, they are taken captive as well to be enslaved. The captain continues to lie to
Oroonoko, promising his freedom, only to sell him in Surinam. Oroonoko is sold to Mr. Trefry, who
promises his eventual freedom and is given the slave name, Caesar.
 After hearing of Oroonoko's story, he sympathizes and befriends him. Mr. Trefry sees Oroonoko's
beauty, intellect, and sense of nobility, allowing him to keep his time at the plantation house away
from the other slaves. One day, while walking the grounds, he sees Imoinda, who has been named
Clemene by her slaveholders. The two immediately rekindle their love and become pregnant.
 The couple becomes fearful of their child being born as a slave, especially as they feel that Oroonoko's
status as a non-working, soon-to-be slave is in jeopardy with the arrival of the

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  governor. Oroonoko attempts to distract the governor. On one of their trips, Oroonoko kills two tigers
with his bare hands, showing his strength and bravery. While the slaveholders are distracted with these
events, Oroonoko leads a slave revolt with other plantations.
 Byam, the deputy-governor , finds and negotiates with Oroonoko, again making large promises. After
promising the freedom of Oroonoko, Imoinda, and their baby, Byam brutally and graphically whips
Oroonoko. This act makes Oroonoko finally realize that the slaveholders will never tell the truth, and
his family will always be captives.
 As a personal revolt against their impending futures in slavery, Oroonoko promises Imoinda that he will
kill her and their baby, seek revenge, and then kill himself, so that they can finally be free. Imoinda
expresses her gratitude and he kills her.

Grief stricken, Oroonoko is too weak to seek revenge. Refusing to leave his wife's body, Byam and his friends
find Oroonoko. After finding the courage to stand up and face them, the men kill and dismember him.

Samuel Pepys

 Samuel Pepys was born in London in 1633.

 He went to Cambridge University.He could speak French and read Latin.He was a Member of
Parliament (MP) and he worked for the Royal Navy. Samuel Pepys lived through some of the biggest
events of the time.

 He lived through the Plague (1665) and he was in London during the Great Fire of London (1666).
 He started writing a diary and recorded all sorts of details, from the weather to the Great Fire. He was
especially pleased with his new watch, which had an alarm!
 Pepys is famous for his diaries, which cover the years 1660 - 1669, but also enjoyed a successful
career as a naval administrator and member of parliament. Pepys began his diary on 1 January 1660.
It is written in a form of shorthand, with names in longhand. It ranges from private remarks, including
revelations of infidelity - to detailed observations of events in 17th century England - such as the
plague of 1665, the Great Fire of London and Charles II's coronation, anglo dutch war1667 - and some
of the key figures of the era, including Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Isaac Newton. Fear of losing his
eyesight prompted Pepys to stop writing the diary in 1669.

John evelyn
John Evelyn, (born Oct. 31, 1620, Wotton, Surrey, Eng.—died Feb. 27, 1706, Wotton), English country
gentleman, author of some 30 books on the fine arts, forestry, and religious topics. His Diary, kept all
his life, is considered an invaluable source of information on the social, cultural, religious, and political
life of 17th-century England.

Evelyn served on a council for colonial affairs from 1671 to 1674. He was appointed to the council of
the Royal Society by its first and second charters in 1662 and 1663 and remained a lifelong member.
In this capacity in 1664 he produced for the commissioners of the navy Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest-
trees, and the Propagation of Timber, a description of the various kinds of trees, their cultivation, and
uses. 

The diary 1641-1697 His Diary, begun when he was 11 years old and first published in 1818 (ed. E.S.
de Beer, 6 vol., 1955), was written for himself alone but with relatively little about himself in it. It
ranges from bald memoranda to elaborate set pieces. With its descriptions of places and events,
characters of contemporaries, and many reports of sermons, it bears witness to more than 50 years of
English life and, as such, is of great historical value.

Samuel butler 1612-1680

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 Samuel Butler is an English novelist and artist. He became popular for his utopian satire, Erewhon, and the
novel, The Way of All Flesh, an autobiographical novel. It focuses on the hypocrisy of the contemporary age.
He is famous for writing a long satirical poem, Hudibras.

Hudibras is a mock-heroic satiric poem. This poem basically attacks the Puritans, Presbyterians and those
people who are involved in the English Civil War. Hudibras is about eleven thousand lines and divided into
three parts. The first one is published in 1663, the second one is in 1664 and the third one in 1678.

The first edition, incorporating the three parts, is published in 1684. It is published four years after the
restoration of Charles II in England. This poem has mesmerized Charles II very much. Through the poem,
Samuel Butler has tried to portray the socio-religious context of his age. Hudibras is derived from faire queen
.Cervantes’ Don Quixote has influenced him greatly. But in Cervantes’, the noble knight is being mocked just to
draw readers’ sympathies, whereas Hudibras is about nothing but mockery.

Hudibras short summary

Hudibras is a mock narrative poem of the restoration age. This is satirically harsh upon the Puritans,
Presbyterians and others who have been engaged in the English Civil War. The epic tells the story of Sir
Hudibras, an arrogant Presbyterian knight.He is praised for his knowledge of logic, although he appears stupid
throughout the verse. He has some wit and he knows many languages.

He rode out against the monarchy during the English civil war. Hudibras has a squire called, Ralpho. As
Hudibras rides ahead with his skinny old horse and Ralpho, to rectify the original definition of sins. Meanwhile,
they face multiple troubles.They are entangled with a fight with bear baiters. Sir Hudibras and Ralpho quarrel
over their condition. A widow comes and sets them free from the situation.astrologer-sidrophel

Butler Hudibras is a satire on

Hudibras is a satire and it highlights its character and connects with the contemporary world. As this satire
directly attacks the Puritans, it delighted King Charles II. The satire is basically written against the Puritans and
their hypocrisy. Although Hudibras and Ralpho are representatives of the Puritans they go beyond the social
limitations. The satire divides the knight and Puritans.

William dampiar-explorer-a new voyage around the world.

John wilmot-2nd earl of Rochester,best English satirist-A satyr against reason and mankind 1675

Adam Smith’s book The Wealth of Nations (1776) was probably the
most important work on economics of the century, revolutionising concepts of trade and prophesying the
growing importance of America as ‘one of the foremost nations of the world’. By a remarkable coincidence
, the book was published in the very same year as the American Declaration of Independence.
In the eighteenth century, with the growth of publishing and with the
intellectual climate of the Enlightenment, there was a great demand for
new historical writing. The greatest product of this was The Decline and
Fall of the Roman Empire, a massive six-volume work published between1776-1788
 and , precisely between the American Revolution and the French
Revolution. The context is important, as the author Edward Gibbon was
examining not only the greatness of Rome, but the forces which brought
about its decay. The story of the burning of Rome is rather different from
Pepys’s or Evelyn’s Great Fire of London, and ends with something more
legendary than historical.

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