Product Description

Callis: What, go in masquerade? what would you do there? Hellena: That which all the world does be as mad as the rest and take all innocent freedoms Aphra Behn was the first female professional writer in England and the most prolific playwright of the late 17th century, after Dryden. The Rover, her most popular play, is set in Naples during the misrule of carnival time, when prohibitions are temporarily removed, privileges and rank suspended, and women, from convent girls to courtesans, take the initiative. Behn has been credited with creating more daring dialogue between the sexes than many of her male contemporaries. The Rover explores issues of love, trickery and deception, forced marriage, male power, fidelity and the excesses of sexual passion. This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with background on the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation and stage history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #94875 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
'Behn was a pioneering female playwright and her script twists between full-blooded romp, offering insidious arguments for free love and a more rueful vision of the consequences of the inequality of the sexes.' Robert Shore, Time Out London, 9.7.09

About the Author
The Editor, Robyn Bolam, is Professor of Literature at St Mary's University College, London.

Customer Reviews

A good choice if you're interested in the Restoration Period
I studied this for my A-Level English Literature and it is quite hard to grasp at first, but Behn is a brilliant writer.
The roles of women are seen as very important, as females were only just allowed to act around the time of her writing. This play is a comedy, but there are also some serious scenes in here too. It's a brilliant buy if you want to look at how society saw women in this particular period.

THIS IS NOT A VIDEO
The play is a well crafted, incredibly enjoyable text. 4.5/5 stars
The production is flawed but helpful academically and intriguing recreationally. (The choice of Andy Serkis for the part of Willmore seems faintly ridiculous, though Daniel Craig is an excellent Blunt) 3/5 stars

I very much recommend reading a copy of the play.

HOWEVER, the description above is MISLEADING, this is NOT the women's playhouse collaboration with the open university, it is just the play in itself. If you are looking for a tape of the play it will cost you approximately £50 from Open University.