1. Why does Behn make it important that Oroonoko be able to speak English?
2. How would you describe the role of the narrator in Oroonoko ? At what point do we understand that
the narrator is female? Does the gender of the narrator “matter” to how we read the work? If so, why and
in what ways? And if not, then why not? Does the first-person narrator add to – or detract from – the
apparent authenticity of the tale being told? Explain. And why does she apologize for her “female pen”?
3. What is the main point that Behn is trying to make in the first two paragraphs of Oroonoko? What
effect do these paragraphs have upon you as a reader? Do you think a reader in 1688 would experience
the same effect when Oroonoko was published?
