curly_cranium 's review for:

Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

4.0

challenging tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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So by modern standards, I was going to rate this a 3. However, after having it on my mind several hours later I took to the internet to research the author and historical context. Aphra Behn was the first female to publish a "novel". Published in 1688, Oroonoko is one of the earliest examples of fiction writing. It's all the more impressive when you consider the protagonist is a wrongfully enslaved African Prince. This was long before a formal abolitionist movement was formed. The protagonist and his love interest are believed to be fictional but many of the supporting characters are real historical figures who held powerful positions in the South American Slave Trade. Though the author's writing reveals some bias and ignorance it is also very clear that she was ahead of her time in terms of open-mindedness, more willing than most to question the ethics of slave trading. For those reasons, I give Oroonoko 4 stars.