It Might As Well Be Spring

You were about to tell David to go back to bed after he mentioned groundhog day for the seventh time. It was Sunday noon, and you knew your side of the hall was almost deserted. (Your housemates went out, probably with their families.) And David might have a hangover (from last night's party). You passed it up, as you must beat the deadline.

It was about Aphra Behn, a playwright from the Restoration Era. Michael looked stunned after you revealed your ignorance. Not even Robert Downey, Jr. (Michael have seen Downey's works. The actor starred in a period drama called "Restoration", but you only knew Iron-Man.) You were unfamiliar with female authors except J.K. Rowling. This didn't discourage you from applying for a place in the English Department, though. Anita Pacheco, your admissions tutor, was impressed at your knowledge on Young-adult fiction. You were like a breath of fresh air. (You sensed she didn't fancy those applicants who tried too hard to be eclectic in their reading preference. You were certain that they haven't read a book by Thomas Hardy, but you rather kept your opinion to yourself.) You figured out that you would have the time for reading, as you were a heavy reader at times. You were dead wrong.

The reading list overwhelmed you, and you haven't included the additional list. (The titles under this list would provide helpful information on the novels and short stories that you were required to read and write about.) Information overload didn't make you enthusiastic about the works of other authors. In the case of Aphra Behn, Professor Thomas provided you and your coursemates a short list of possible topics (for your essay). It would include:

1. Representations of arrange marriage in Behn's work.
2. Behn's portrayal of male sexuality.
3. Questions of authorship: does it matter that these works were written by a woman?
4. The extent to which Behn's work can be seen as feminist.
5. The relationship between Behn's conservative politics and her sexual politics.
6. Behn's treatment of slavery, race and colonialism.

You thought Professor Pacheco might gave you an insight or two, which would help you come up with an opening line (at least). It turned out that this one was one of those meetings where she wouldn't be very generous with you. You should have an idea after two group meetings, she pointed out. You must have found out which research methods to use for this assignment. You were at a loss for words, as you thought it was about Virginia Woolf.

It reminded you of "Orlando", which Natalie saw many moons ago. Your sister was a huge fan of Tilda Swinton, and the early scenes saw her playing a prince. And then her transformation into a woman. You didn't read Woolf's novel, which was the basis of the film. Natalie thought it was the plight of womenfolk in England, and how it hardly changed through the centuries. You wondered if there was any similarity between Woolf and Behn. Professor Pacheco asked you if you read "The Lucky Chance" and "The Rover".

You must go back to your room and read both plays again. You wished it was spring.