Aphra Behn as painted by Sir Peter Lely

Aphra Behn: Pastoral Poet

One of the reasons I feel Aphra Behn deserved ecocritical attention is because her work seems similar to other Renaissance authors who are already receiving eco-focus. But it is also true that it is equally important to include her because she is not like other authors of her era, because she is different than them— “Behn made credible contributions to the form that differ from those of her male contemporaries (Laudien 43). A fine example of this is her continued use of the pastoral form. Apparently, for Renaissance poets, the pastoral was just a small stepping stone in their career—write a few, and then move on to worthier and grander projects. Aphra Behn began to write pastorals early on her career, just as her contemporaries did. Then she never stopped! She wrote over forty during her lifetime. This sets her apart greatly from the typical Renaissance thinking, which deemed it a lesser and transitory stage in poetic aspiration. Yet she took the form, and developed it further, and endued it with a mature and exploratory thoughtfulness. She revises the traditional poster figures of the shepherd and the nymph, “evolving a new concept of the masculine subject while simultaneously fluctuating between a theory of female subordination and female libertinism” (Laudien 54). Moreover, if the stereotypical images and behavior patterns of the men and the women are altered, it suggests the possibility of shifting the accepted relationships between them. Lastly, in suggesting a reworking of the interactions and relationship between men and women, she also perpetuates a more appreciative and understanding regard of humans towards nature. So excluding Aphra Behn from her peers, in ecocritical evaluation, leaves one with an incomplete assessment of the ecocritical workings within Renaissance literature. After all, when parts of history are omitted from studies, or certain works or authors left idle on the shelf, it is not possible to have a well-rounded perception of all facets of human perspectives throughout the ages. Aphra Behn’s perspective is a gap that needs filling!

References

Laudien, Heidi. “Aphra Behn: Pastoral Poet.” Women’s Writing. 12.1 (2005): 43-54.

Raber, Karen. Recent Ecocritical Studies of English Renaissance Literature. English Literary

Renaissance 37.1 (Feb. 2007): 151-171.