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There are many uncertainties as to what is absolute truth, exaggeration, or understatement within fiction based on stories that were told centuries ago. That is the case of Aphra Behns Oroonoko, a fictional work of prose recounting the elements of the life of the Oroonoko, a Coromantin prince. It is not certain whether Behn is the narrator of the story at all, and if she is, the extent of what is true or false is unknown. During the time of the works writing, the English colony in Suriname was founded and began importing slaves. Most of the transported slaves included the Akan people from the Gold Coast of Africa, which is where modern-day Ghana is not situated. The low number of slaves in England created a problem concerning sugar plantations. However, by the time the book was complete, King Charles II of England had given Suriname to the Dutch. Behn considered this a mistake due to the gold mines, sugar cane, and many other unique resources that could be found there. Many researchers question Behns real interactions with Suriname and the slaves located there. They point to a lack of detail in the settings of her book as a possible reportage of what other English nobility witnessed when traveling.
Though it is not known explicitly whether Behn was against slavery or not, her work has stirred sympathetic responses towards Africans during the height of its popularity. It also placed as much significance on the race of the characters as well as their kingship. Oroonoko is a prince with noble lineage, and his death is devastating to the colony. It is unclear who the personality of Oroonoko is based on, but there has been speculation that John Allin, a settler of Suriname, was a likely model for the prince. It is expected that Behn may have fictionalized the European characters as well, such as her antipathy for William Byam, forming him as the most villainous character within the work. As such, it is incredibly hard to distinguish the fact from the fiction within Behns work, and current readers may only be able to see the influence of the novel with more clarity. Behn had likely been motivated to create the work for her royalist-centered ideology and her opinion on the current times political disarray. Though she may not have set out to make a position to oppose slavery, the piece depicts many anti-Dutch sentiments that revealed the mistreatment and cruelty towards slaves. There is recounting of atrocities committed by the Dutch, with possible accuracy, which she felt destroyed the divine and royal nature that Oroonoko possessed. The work is able to present the times political sentiments and unease as well as the wrongdoings of colonists in Suriname.
The origins of Inkle and Yarico are even more obscure than that of Oroonoko. The story follows a trader named Thomas Inkle, who is rescued by an Indian maiden. They become romantically involved, but upon Inkles return to England, he sells Yarico into slavery. The story can be traced back to Richard Ligons A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbados, narrated as a true story. It was altered in 1711, with Richard Steele, a writer for the Spectator, turning the character of Yarico from an Indian to a Native American woman (Felsenstein 61). At the time of its popularity, the contradictions and discourse it created marks it as an important landmark in the various discussion of gender and race that continues to this day. Venus in Two Acts, an essay by Saidiya Hartman, discusses the presence of women in the Atlantic slave trade and the injustices to which they were subjected to (Hartman 9). Not only is the topic of race integral to the value of the two works, but the differing perspectives of gender play an equally important role.
Works Cited
Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave: A True History. Will. Canning, 1688.
Felsenstein, Frank. English Trader, Indian Maid: Representing Gender, Race, and Slavery in the New World: An Inkle and Yarico Reader. JHUP, 1999.
Hartman, Saidiya. Venus in Two Acts. Small Axe, vol. 12, no. 2, 2008, pp. 1-14.
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