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Old Bailey Proceedings Online
(www.oldbaileyonline.org, 4 December 2005), 6th This online source was helpful in my paper, RAPE: Perpetrators and Victims in Aphra Behn’s The Rover, as it is an archive of old murders, sexual assaults, and robbery trials. I focused on the rape trials that occurred at this courthouse, in particular ones where the defendants were found innocent, as a woman’s word, particularly one of lower classes, was not “substantial evidence.” Kaufman, Anthony. “The Perils of Florinda: Aphra Behn, Rape, and the Subversion
of Libertinism in
The Rover, Part I.” Restoration and 18th Century
Theatre
Research.
Chicago: Loyola
This article was great in adding to my thesis about social class in relation to rape. Kaufman analyzes The Rover’s two rape scenes with Florinda, and then analyzes the male’s perceptions of their actions. He shows that Florinda was consistently in danger when she was masked, but safe when her true identity was exposed. He also analyzes Angellica Bianca’s role as a “commodity” and her subsequent abuse from Willmore. I took this article a step further and related the rape into the realm of social identity and its consequences.
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Catherine
Gallagher’s article, Who Was That Masked Woman? provides some
key insight for my study The Rover. Gallagher investigates the
“author-whore” identity ascribed to Behn by 17th century
society. She suggests that Behn’s association with prostitution
allowed for her to mask her true identity behind a public front.
Gallagher claims Behn “managed to create the effect of an
inaccessible authenticity out of the very image of prostitution”
(Gallagher 69.) In this argument Gallagher considers the commercial
nature of sexual relationships in Restoration society. She addresses
the tension of sexual relations as a woman’s power was held
primarily in her sexual forbearance. The moment a female gives way
to her seducer, her power is lost and she is easily replaceable by
the next conquest. Playwriting then became an instrument by which
through wit, women could extend the their erotic power beyond the
moment of acquiescence. As women were considered to be the sexual
property of their husbands, both minds and bodies, Gallagher
suggests that in forfeiting marriage and embracing her association
with the common whore, Behn was making a radical claim of
self-ownership.
Allestree, Robert. The Ladies
Calling in Two Parts. Oxford, 1693. 1 Nov. 2005 Robert Allestree’s handbook for the conduct of women outlines the expectations for women in 17th century society. Allestree articulates that these standards are being threatened by social changes taking place in the Restoration. While Allestree does not name Behn specifically, he alludes to the impropriety of women who make their private thoughts known to a public audience. Allestree critiques women for a general loss of virtue, pervasive throughout his generation, noting their masculine boldness. Allestree’s criticisms suggest the model of femininity seen in Behn’s plays and provided by Behn herself. Allestree furthermore justifies the appearance of rape in Restoration society as a symptom of the loose conduct of women, inducing and justifying any initiative on the part of the male perpetrator.
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Backscheider, Paula R. Spectacular Politics: theatrical power and mass culture in early modern England. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. Paula R. Backscheider follows the role of women through literature and plays beginning with Charles II’s introduction of women to the Restoration theatre. She explains the power dynamics that play between women and men in early modern English literature, drama and politics. I was able to utilize her research on women’s need to write themselves into theatre and then, the obstacles writers, such as Aphra Behn faced. She also shows the growth in number of women on stage and the strength of the characters they played over time. Warren, Victoria. "Gender and Genre in Susanna Centlivre's
The Gamester and The Basset Table." Project Muse. SEL. 43, I found that Project Muse had a vast array of scholarly essays on women during the Restoration. This one in particular provides in-depth research on all aspects of Susanna Centlivre’s influence during the Restoration period. Victoria Warren depicts her importance in terms of her personal life, in terms of gender roles at the time and in terms of her plays. Specifically, Warren presents several different appropriate genres in which Centlivre’s plays can be placed. In doing so, she explores how Centlivre effected her audience, and vice versa, despite the complexities of her being a woman playwright.
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Anne's Annotations:
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