The Empire has done some terrible things, but the slave trade may be amongst it's worst contributions to the world. Oroonoko traces the story of an African Prince taken into slavery and sold. The novel (if that's what you want to call it; it may be better to think of it as a novella) plays with structure and form. It seems to be an early example of a "frame" novel. The narration is strong, and there are vivid and wonderful descriptions of Africa. Location and scene is developed nicely. There are unusual elements where the novel shifts from 1st to 3rd, but this doesn't hinder the reader. The novel seems to want to suggest the evils or perils of slavery, and using the primary character as a price, does seem to really want to focus the readership of the novel to British elites. The novel makes you think about slavery and it makes you see slaves as people, not just as objects for trade and labor.
Frances Burney's Evelina is a delightful read. There, I said it! I actually really like an 18th century novel! Like much of what we've read this semester, the text is written as a series of letters (epistolary novel) from a series of different voices / perspectives. The earliest letters regard the background to Evelina's situation. One of the themes that develops in these early letters regards identity / social position. At the heart of Evelina's confusion / search for identity, lie her background and rearing under the guise of her "father", Mr. Villars. In these first letters, we are giving a generational backstory suggesting of a place of prominence for Evelina (her mother, after all, was a Lady). The death of her mother and then the death of her father leave Evelina to Mr. Villars, where he does his upmost to educate her and teach her to lead a mild mannered / virtuous / pious life. We don't really get many details of her formal education (save that ...
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