Plays 1676–1678

Aphra Behn's career in the Restoration theatre extended over nearly two full decades, and encompassed a remarkable generic range and diversity. The plays in this volume, published and performed between 1676 and 1678, include comedies set in London and Naples (The Town-Fopp and Sir Patient Fancy; The Rover), and two anonymously published plays long associated with Behn's name (The Counterfeit Bridegroom and The Debauchee). Collectively, Behn's plays of this period exemplify her skills in writing for individual performers, and exhibit both the topical political engagement with and sophisticated response to Restoration libertinism for which she is renowned. They also bear witness to Behn's popularity with theatre audiences during the politically difficult years of the 1670s. The present edition draws on recent scholarship on Restoration literary, theatrical and political history, and is also informed by the most up-to-date research in the field of computational attribution.