Imperial-colored glasses give me a bit of a headache, sort of similar to the headaches that 3D glasses give some people. It’s just the way they saw things back then, Miranda. They don’t realize how stupid they sound right now for idealizing the natives in such ways. I find it especially interesting that the text praises the natives’ morals over the systems familiar to the Europeans:
- On the Surinam natives: “And these people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin. . . . Religion would here but destroy the tranquility they possess by ignorance, and laws would teach ‘em to know offense, of which now they have no notion” (Behn 2184-2185).
- On West Africa: “. . . and especially in that country, where men take to themselves as many as they can maintain, and where the only crime and sin with woman is to turn her off, to abandon her to want, shame, and misery. Such ill morals are only practiced in Christian countries, where they prefer the bare name of religion, and, without virtue or morality, think that’s sufficient” (Behn 2188).
Frankly, I’m surprised. I would have thought that any European narrator would have dismissed and belittled every non-Christian culture.
No, White Person, you are a credit to your race.
Now, the several pages dedicated to describing the natives of Surinam, only to jump settings across the Atlantic and describe two people there, seem excessive at best and unnecessary at worst. Is it not enough to say that the story will arrive at Surinam, but begins in West Africa? Will the native cultures of Surinam become relevant later in the story?
Speaking of West Africa, I think I will look into whether any of the names are real, or if Behn just made up some names that sounded “vaguely African.” I actually kind of hope that the former is true.
Side note: I’m going to guess that we will not see Imoinda for the rest of this story. It would be way too convenient to have Oroonoko somehow encounter her again in slavery, when there are so many different faraway places they might have sent her. I get the impression this is not the kind of story in which those kinds of ridiculous coincidences happen. What do you think?
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I understand that Aphra Behn as really progressive for her time, but every other paragraph in Oroonoko makes me cringe!! Like Dr. MB said, it's good we can recognize that it's really racist and fetishistic, but reading it still makes me emotionally exhausted. As far as ridiculous coincidences go: Oroonoko CAN'T be a prototypical romance novel if it doesn't have at least A FEW of them. At least we can point at them and laugh.
ReplyDeleteDamn, I don't know if you came up with this imperial-colored glasses thing yourself, but it's brilliant. You really do have to read stories like this with several different perspectives in mind, especially the perspective of the Imperialists. This is where history, psychology, and english come together and become truth.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, Oroonoko does meet his beloved once again, and then kills her and their unborn child!!! Did not see that coming. Behn even goes as far as ending the story as an ode to Imoinda, which I find really interesting. The narrator refers to Imoinda as "the brave, the beautiful, and the constant," a description the reader was initially suppose to align with Oroonoko. I found the way Behn concluded the story rather puzzling, and questioned who this story was really about.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about you but there is something soothing about being the victors in a war of nothing. We live in a society that was less civilized compared to its Muslim counterparts in the ancient time period where they were far more advanced than Europe. In fact, Africa was probably very developed and we see it coming around not to haunt us but rather to help develop us. There is something curious about modern society where our Western countries are sending people into Africa. For example people like British royalty or famous actors who the media like to capture to show them in a totally different culture feeding African babies. It is always nice to hear about how wealthier people or countries are providing care for the poor Africans. Westerners feed their children who are starving and probably past their opportunity for survival or any chance of having a healthy life. African governments topple easily and there are many coups while the countries are falling apart. I was watching “The Last King of Scotland” about the evil Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin who was obsessed with a Scottish doctor that he was keeping captive and out of jealousy or insanity, Idi Amin murders his own wife and keeps his son’s epilepsy secret. Idi Amin has all these body doubles and dresses like such a militant dictator. This dictator is even insistent that his soldiers wear kilts like Scotsmen. I don’t know how much we think of consequences and backlash for decades if not centuries to come from going into someone else’s country raping and pillaging the land and it’s people.
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