Hansen, Claire (2017) Vivacious and unapologetic, The Rover's 17th-century feminism is painfully pertinent. The Conversation, 6 July 2017.

Preview

PDF (Scholarly Blog Post) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives. Download (547kB) | Preview

Abstract

The Rover, now on at Belvoir Theatre in Sydney, starts unexpectedly, with long-dead 17th-century playwright Aphra Behn walking onstage – staring down the audience in a gawdy gold gown, beverage in hand, vivacious and unapologetic. She challenges us to accept a play by a female playwright:

Men are but Bunglers, when they wou'd express The sweets of Love, the dying tenderness; But Women, by their own abundance, measure, And when they write, have deeper sense of Pleasure.

She then exhorts those in the audience who do not like the prospect of a female playwright to, in her words, "fuck off". When nobody chooses to do so, Behn allows the play to start. Under the direction of Eamon Flack, this irreverent, hilarious production deftly offers Behn's work in a way that is accessible, clever and utterly relevant.

Item ID:	52601
Item Type:	Article (Commentary)
Additional Information:	We believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives license, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.
Date Deposited:	20 Feb 2018 01:10
FoR Codes:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200503 British and Irish Literature @ 100%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970120 Expanding Knowledge in Language, Communication and Culture @ 50% 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970119 Expanding Knowledge through Studies of the Creative Arts and Writing @ 50%
Downloads:	Total: 280 Last 12 Months: 13
	More Statistics