It manages to fail spectacularly at both, and be dull and irritating at the same time. Vanda: I don't understand how this book is upheld so much as a paragon of anti-racism, or woman's writing, for that matter. Really would be better off doing something else. She reaches the conclusion that Oroonoko is beautiful because all his features are those of a white man, his hair is straight and it is unfortunate but alluring that he is black.Īnd don't talk to me about plot, the events that lead to the tragic end of the story only start about 10 pages from the end! The rest of the book is spent with platitudes and fawning over Oroonoko and his lover.

Behn's description of Oroonoko shows a woman debating between her racism and her sexual attraction more than anything. The book is basically a apology of class division, it is wrong for Oroonoko to be a slave because he is a king, not because he is a human being.Īphra Behn was a commited royalist and defended an existence of an innefable quality of nobility which was shared by all those of noble blood and therefore Oroonoko. This would be a good thing if the book was in any way against slavery which it isn't.

Not that there aren't any redeeming factors to it, it is the first English novel set in the Americas and the hero is actually a black slave. Francisco: Ok I disliked this book, in fact I profoundly disliked it.

Oroonoko amazon