Archive: Aphra Behn, pioneering playwright and spy.
Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Aphra Behn, the first English woman to earn a living from writing. They explore her life as a spy, her prolific career as a Restoration playwright and novelist, and her complex political loyalty to the Stuart monarchy. The episode examines her bawdy style, her challenge to gender norms, and her subsequent fall from fame before a modern critical revival.
Topics discussed
Introduction to In Our Time and episode topic
Aphra Behn's biography and early life mysteries
Behn's work as a spy in Suriname
The Restoration theatre and women on stage
Playwright economics and Behn's professional success
Analysis of The Rover and female libertines
Commercial break and podcast promotion
Behn's royalism and political allegiances
The novel Oroonoko and colonial critique
The Widow Ranter and theatrical conventions
Behn's reputation for bawdy writing
Legacy, Virginia Woolf, and modern relevance
Bonus segment on poetry and performance challenges
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