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2.84 AVERAGE
2.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Questionably inauthentic as the author writes there are tigers in Suriname, but an interesting examination of a "romance" as defined by the times, debatable whether it's anti-slavery or not, complete with a horrifying ending to this Romeo and Juliet story.
dark
medium-paced
To sum up the message of this book: “Guys, I think slavery is kinda bad, don’t you? Like, I still enjoy living on stolen land and profiting off of the native inhabitants, but I think we went too far when we quartered this particular slave. He was really handsome and noble for a black person!”
One star for Aphra Behn for being one of the first female writers + one of the first people to openly “criticise” slavery. Half a star for being short. That’s about it.
One star for Aphra Behn for being one of the first female writers + one of the first people to openly “criticise” slavery. Half a star for being short. That’s about it.
My first assignment for an Intro to Graduate Studies course, Oroonoko served as the "common text" for all the participants to use in class discussion. The novel (novella?) draws from weighted themes such as class, race, gender, and culture.
**Semi-spoiler alert**
As an academic resource, this book has merit. What is its significance that it is included in the canon of literature? That it was published at all? Certainly that question invites the reader/scholar to consider the historical and cultural context that shaped and produced the story of the exiled royal slave. As a scholar, I recognize the value that Oroonoko lends to the literary discourse, and even such offenses as its racism can serve, again, as a hallmark for its historical context.
Yet, as a writer, I disdained the very words which I was reading. Behn's writing style does a lot of telling. She devotes several paragraphs telling the reader that Oroonoko is a handsome man, that he is a brave warrior, that Imoinda is the fairest creature in the lands, etc. The verbiage is convoluted, the dialogue scarce. Again, Behn tells the reader what people are saying rather than giving voice to her own characters. She saturates insignificant points in the plot with the spotlight while in few sentences or words touches upon the catalyst of the action. The main complaint in my class discussion was that "all the interesting things" happened within the last two pages. As a writing reader, I would agree that this assertion is not far off.
**Semi-spoiler alert**
As an academic resource, this book has merit. What is its significance that it is included in the canon of literature? That it was published at all? Certainly that question invites the reader/scholar to consider the historical and cultural context that shaped and produced the story of the exiled royal slave. As a scholar, I recognize the value that Oroonoko lends to the literary discourse, and even such offenses as its racism can serve, again, as a hallmark for its historical context.
Yet, as a writer, I disdained the very words which I was reading. Behn's writing style does a lot of telling. She devotes several paragraphs telling the reader that Oroonoko is a handsome man, that he is a brave warrior, that Imoinda is the fairest creature in the lands, etc. The verbiage is convoluted, the dialogue scarce. Again, Behn tells the reader what people are saying rather than giving voice to her own characters. She saturates insignificant points in the plot with the spotlight while in few sentences or words touches upon the catalyst of the action. The main complaint in my class discussion was that "all the interesting things" happened within the last two pages. As a writing reader, I would agree that this assertion is not far off.
dark
emotional
sad
For being written in the late 1600s, I expected a lot more unconscious racism than what was encountered. A lot more blatant racism actually since I have a lower opinion of humans of our own time than the average person - much lower - and an even lower opinion of the generations before us, so I was shocked that Behn only made remarks about the hair, noses, lips of Africans being less beautiful, but didn't say anything disparaging their intelligence, morality, or other physical features, and went as far as comparing them favorably multiple times in those areas to the English and other Christian people. It's still a bad look, just to a lesser degree than expected. On a related note, for someone in the 1600s to be shitting on the underhanded imperialism of their own country and the empty morals preached by it's state religion... I'm surprised the book wasn't banned or burned. Or was it? I'm not so familiar with the history of this book or how it was received initially.
Now, the best aspect of this book was that it ended the only way it could, but the way that is rarely ever taken because accurate portrayals of the brutality of humans and the suffering of the most exploited classes is thought to be too painful for the rest of us to have to hear, so we always get hollywood deus ex machina endings where we are given false hope that things history progresses. Well, sometimes there isn't any hope, and putting that bluntly makes us feel a bit of necessary shame, and hopefully encourages us to change. Even with its glaring flaws, the ending earns this a fourth star.
Now, the best aspect of this book was that it ended the only way it could, but the way that is rarely ever taken because accurate portrayals of the brutality of humans and the suffering of the most exploited classes is thought to be too painful for the rest of us to have to hear, so we always get hollywood deus ex machina endings where we are given false hope that things history progresses. Well, sometimes there isn't any hope, and putting that bluntly makes us feel a bit of necessary shame, and hopefully encourages us to change. Even with its glaring flaws, the ending earns this a fourth star.
Upon rereading, I still hate this book, but I think I got more out of it this time.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Tragic. This story condemns the vile slave trade with every sentence.
-1 star for Oroonoko's basically being a European in "black skin" (read Behn's description of his features and upbringing, and you'll see what I mean) whose wit and nobility are viewed as 'surprising' in light of his being non-European (again, read Behn's description of her titular character to see what I mean).
-1 star for Oroonoko's basically being a European in "black skin" (read Behn's description of his features and upbringing, and you'll see what I mean) whose wit and nobility are viewed as 'surprising' in light of his being non-European (again, read Behn's description of her titular character to see what I mean).
I want to give this more of a 2.5 than a 2! I didn’t not enjoy it, but I don’t think that it lives up to some of the other books I have given 3 stars to.