The master and the machine: applying the perception of mind and body to Rochester's The Imperfect enjoyment" and Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment" and Oroonoko "
Date of Award
2017
Degree Name
M.A. in English
Department
Department of English
Advisor/Chair
Advisor: Elizabeth Ann Mackay
Abstract
When applying the relationship between the mind and the body to the literature of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, and Aphra Behn, a relationship forms between a master and a machine. In this case, the master is the mind, and the machine is the body. I argue that using this application with Rochester's The Imperfect Enjoyment," and Behn's "The Disappointment" and Oroonoko, relationships between the self and others become more difficult and complex. When connecting the theory of the mind/body split to Rochester, the outer relationship between the mind and body is displayed. However, when moving on to Behn's writings, she corrects the Imperfect Enjoyment genre by turning the relationship inward. In this paper, I also argue that a new reading of the novel Oroonoko should be one which places it within the Imperfect Enjoyment genre. In this novel, Oronooko displays scenes of Imperfect Enjoyment within himself in not being able to kill himself and in his response to his slave master torturing him."
Keywords
Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of, 1647-1680 Criticism and interpretation, Behn, Aphra, 1640-1689 Criticism and interpretation, Mind and body in literature, British and Irish Literature, Literature, Earl of Rochester, The Imperfect Enjoyment, Aphra Behn, The Disappointment, Oroonoko
Rights Statement
Copyright © 2017, author
Recommended Citation
Roesch, Lynn Marie, "The master and the machine: applying the perception of mind and body to Rochester's The Imperfect enjoyment" and Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment" and Oroonoko "" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1264.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/graduate_theses/1264
