| Aphra Behn's dramatic and literary works contain the recurring themes of hidden identity and masked personae. Since political and social events inform Behn's art and her construction of personae, a historical context frames the research. The thesis further examines Behn's use of masking as a narrative technique with which she creates both literal, physical space and rhetorical discursive space for social and political views in her work. The theory of discursive technique is applied to a demonstration of how Behn uses the mask as metaphor in two major works: her play The Rover, Part I and her novel Oroonoko. Finally, the thesis explores how Behn's use of masked personae provides a discursive link between her plays and her narrative fiction. |
