OR, THE ROYAL SLAVE
Oroonoko was first published by Will Canning in 1688. It was only during the last decade of her life that Behn began to start producing prose fiction. She is often considered to be one of the first novel writers in the English language — a genre of literature that would reach prominence in the nineteenth century. The work relates a tale of an African prince, the eponymous Oroonoko, who is the grandson of the King; he lives in Ghana and falls in love with the beautiful Imoinda. However, the King also desires Imoinda and when he discovers her relations with his grandson, he sells her into slavery. Shortly afterwards Oroonoko is captured by an English captain and also sold into slavery, before being sent to Suriname. The couple are reunited as slaves in the English colony and the young prince pleads to be allowed to return to his homeland with his wife. When his request is refused he organises a slave rebellion, leading to horrific consequences. The work was not initially a commercial success, which greatly disappointed Behn. In 1895, Thomas Southerne wrote a play entitled Oroonoko: A Tragedy, which proved to be a huge triumph. He credited Behn with the narrative and consequently the novel became popular six years after the author’s death.
There has been much debate about whether Behn travelled to Suriname, or if she just read reports about the location, and the white colonists who were there in the 1660’s. There are aspects of the work that suggest a familiarity with the region which might have required her actually visiting the country. However, there are also inaccuracies, which raise doubts about her ever having been in Suriname. The issue of slavery, and the author’s stance on the practice, is crucial to many readings of the text. It is true that Behn depicts the central character in a sympathetic light, but it is individualised and related to his status as a prince, rather than a commentary on the ethics of slavery. There is little condemnation about either the enslavement of people, or criticisms about the act of colonisation. The author’s concern is more orientated towards ideas about Kingship and the need for a true and noble leader to rule over a resource-rich land to prevent it from becoming the province of the corrupt and mercenary mercantile class.