The Rover by Aphra Behn

The Rover by Aphra Behn

The Rover, or, The Banished Cavaliers is the most popular play by the Restoration playwright (and spy) Aphra Behn, first performed in 1677. Although Behn's work as a spy for Charles II came to a sudden end with a spell in debtor's prison, she was a stout Royalist, and the title refers to Charles' supporters, who were living in exile on the Continent.In the tradition of Restoration comedy, the play follows the wild exploits of a group of English gentlemen in Naples at Carnival time, although many of the tropes of the genre are subverted to an extent which sent shockwaves through the theatre world. Behn's infamous libertine Willmore was an instant hit, and The Rover catapulted her to overnight fame, and brought her an income from the box office, making her one of the first women to earn a living by their pen.

'All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn which is, most scandalously but rather appropriately, in Westminster Abbey, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds' (Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own)

Aphra Behn (c.1640–89), or Astrea, was a poet, author and playwright, best remembered today as being one of the first English women to earn a living with her pen, as well as for her work as a spy for Charles II.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781913724061
ISBN 10	1913724069
Title	The Rover
Author	Aphra Behn
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Renard Press Ltd
Year published	2021-04-28
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.