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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Tiziana Febronia Arena
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DOI:10.17265/1539-8072/2017.02.007
University of Catania, Catania, Italy
In this paper, I will explore Aphra Behn’s world: spy, kept mistress and writer. She created her complex personality between myth and reality, underlining limits and contradictions of her society in her life and works. In a world where woman had to be obedient she turned upside down a strict system, while remaining loyal to male libertinism. I will sketch out a brief outline of her life and works. She plays her role, assuming different positions, such as her masculine poetic gift and the labelled role of whore. This gave her access to the little but exciting world of women’s literature. She constructed the image of the whore, becoming trader of herself. In doing this, she gained a place in society.
Aphra Behn, Restoration, women’s position
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