Mask as metaphor: The function of personae in Aphra Behn's “The Rover”, part I and “Oroonoko”

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.