Conclusion: Words of Passion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2024
Summary
The health of the Soul is as uncertain as that of the Body; and tho one seems to be far from Passions, yet one is in no less danger of falling into ‘em than to fall sick when one is in perfect health.
Based upon a count of words, Quantitative Literary Analysis of the Works of Aphra Behn chronicles Behn's obsession with the mystery and power of love and her unique presentation of early modern passions in poetry, drama and prose. Using concordance data, the book presents two types of evidence: one focused upon her use of small words like thou, sir or said, and the other using data to indicate passages for significant close reading. As a prolific writer of literary work in the late seventeenth century, Behn engaged the language of her time, and her corpus shows evidence of some semantic shifts, such as the expanded use of sir. Her writings provide insight into social values, particularly regard�ing the patriarchy, but they also indicate the ways in which genres follow specific language features. The latter is especially important in the analysis of Behn's experimental development of prose genres, where said and time are top frequent words (MFW). Following the dominant word patterns and interesting data arising from the concordance, the analysis of Behn's poetry, drama and fiction supports four overarching arguments. Based upon her repeated use of soul, believed to be the immortal element of humans given by God, I argue that Behn's work coheres within the reformed Protestant religion of her culture, and though she challenges certain moral mandates, her work invokes Christian orthodoxies regarding passion which need to be appreciated to understand her characters. Behn's works consistently present characters engaged in conflicts of the soul, and while these involve significant male and female characters, such as an Octavio or a Lady Galliard, Behn is unique in creating a series of strong female characters rationally confronting desire, choosing to act and reflecting on the consequences. Her female figures
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- Quantitative Literary Analysis of the Works of Aphra BehnWords of Passion, pp. 191 - 210Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2023