England: Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn (1640 – 1689)

Aphra Behn was born in Canterbury in the year 1640 during the hard time of the English Civil War. She was the daughter of a nurse and barber. After an extent of traverling she became Mrs. Behn, but later was windowed. There was little know about her husband. She is consider by most as one of England’s first professional writers. She wrote many plays, some were bad and some good. One of her novels she wrote was Love-letters a story of a Nobleman and his younger sister. During her time she wrote for Nell Gwyn, John Dryden and the Duke of York; two scientific for French. At this time it was unheard of for a woman to write on these subjects.
In 1681 in the last decade of her life, Behn was overwhelm in the fast interest in gender, class and race with all this she was said to be the First Lady of Cultural Studies. Many other women thought about this, but many were too scared to do anything. Some Old Guard believed that Behn was part of a subject of debasement she was here to stay.
Even with her new status many editions of the works on the market, Aphra Behn was not a veneration. Though some still thought of her in this way she was a Troy royalist that believed common people were controlled by a strong whip. The Royal Slave written in 1688 was one of her most famous short story about slavery practice. She believes that a person’s sexual moral was a private matter and no one else’s is business. Behn also believe that the man was not the head of the house or of his kingdom; that a freedom was a lesser of people and anything was except treason.
Aphra Behn was seen to have clear view of her work even when her private life was not was available to the public. Aphra was fascinated in her last years when she became a firm supporter and continues to work with James II in his short reign. Even has she was very sick and it became harder for her to write she would work right up to her the time she died in 1689.

By: Danny C.