Two Works Dealing With Gender Roles

The study will argue, ironically, that Jacobs, a black slave, offers much more resistance to traditional gender roles than does Behn, who presents herself on the surface as an aggressive and rebellious woman, but who, on a more profound level, is actually far more conservative in her attitude toward gender issues.

Behn plays a central role as narrator and character in her tale of the "Royal Slave" Oroonoko. Behn claims that it is a true history, that she is reporting what she herself saw and experienced, as well as what the hero himself told her about his life.

Behn's role as narrator, then, is crucial to the believability of the romance of the Royal Slave and his beloved Imoinda. The credibility of the story depends on her credibility as narrator/writer. The hero of the story is certainly a man, but if it were not for the courage and tenacity of Behn in recording what she saw and heard (assuming the work is a

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ssibility that Behn was physically attracted to Oroonoko. This is made apparent in her description of him upon their first meeting: "There could be nothing in nature more beautiful, agreeable, and handsome" (Behn 1871). This physical attraction only adds to the reader's suspicion that Behn has no intention of altering gender or aesthetic expectations---although certainly she must have raised eyebrows with her blatant appreciation, as a white European woman, of the black "savage" Oroonoko. On the other hand, the strength of the story, as Phelps points out, is Behn's powerful presence in every sentence as story-teller. It does not follow, however, that her involvement alters expectations in any way with respect to gender or writing. The heart of the story---the relationship between the hero and Imoinda, as Link points out, offers nothing unconventional with respect to gender roles: "The romance between Oroonoko and Imoinda---indeed, everything about that young lady---comes from the heroic tradition, probably through the English heroic drama and the French Arcadian romance" (Link 142). It is ironic to find that the slave Jacobs is far more radical in her treatment of gender expectations than the free European Behn. Berry and Bl
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Imoinda Behn, Royal Slave, Slave Girl, Berry Blassingame, King Behn's, Writing Oroonoko's, Phelps Behn's, Oroonoko Imoinda, Oroonoko Behn, French Arcadian, gender roles, hero oroonoko, life fit, behn's story, conventional gender roles, gender expectations, fit conventional, university press, jacobs' account, fit conventional expectations, sexual standards, active hero oroonoko, active hero, life slave girl, aphra behn york,
Approximate Word count = 1869
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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