This is The Scandal of the Century, the true story of the author Aphra Behn, who used a shocking love affair to create the first English novel . . .
'Gloriously mind-boggling . . .This is a lively book, full of saucy millennial-type analogies' Spectator
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London, 1682.
When Lady Henrietta Berkeley elopes with her sister's husband, her subsequent capture and the lawsuit that follows tears through Restoration England as the scandal of the century.
But it also proves inspiration to one Aphra Behn - already condemned as a scarlet woman of loose morals - who pens a searing and outrageous bestseller based on Henrietta's shocking affair.
The story of how and why Henrietta acted as she did, and how and why Behn came to write it becomes, in Lisa Hilton's hands, a stunning portrait of two women attempting to smash the shackles enslaving their sex.
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PRAISE FOR THE SCANDAL OF THE CENTURY
'A landmark book, a sweeping, scintillatingly original, exciting and game changing exploration of writer, spy, power player, lover Aphra Behn. Thrilling, scholarly, powerfully researched, this is Aphra as she's never been seen before' Kate Williams, historian and author of Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots
'The Scandal of the Century allows Hilton to showcase her skill for both historical and detective work and compelling, evocative writing . . . compelling to read [and] refreshingly transparent . . . Her fresh ideas could open up exciting paths for future scholars' BBC History Magazine
'An enjoyable read . . . challenging - but always entertaining' Literary Review
'Engaging, ingenious, lively . . . Hilton skilfully narrates background material of the Restoration' TLS
| ISBN: | 9781405953344 |
| Publication date: | 29th May 2025 |
| Author: | Lisa Hilton |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 352 pages |
| Genres: |
Biography: writers Biography: historical, political and military Literary studies: plays and playwrights Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers European history |
This is The Scandal of the Century, the true story of the author Aphra Behn, who used a shocking love affair to create the first English novel . . .
'Gloriously mind-boggling . . .This is a lively book, full of saucy millennial-type analogies' Spectator
-
London, 1682.
When Lady Henrietta Berkeley elopes with her sister's husband, her subsequent capture and the lawsuit that follows tears through Restoration England as the scandal of the century.
But it also proves inspiration to one Aphra Behn - already condemned as a scarlet woman of loose morals - who pens a searing and outrageous bestseller based on Henrietta's shocking affair.
The story of how and why Henrietta acted as she did, and how and why Behn came to write it becomes, in Lisa Hilton's hands, a stunning portrait of two women attempting to smash the shackles enslaving their sex.
-
PRAISE FOR THE SCANDAL OF THE CENTURY
'A landmark book, a sweeping, scintillatingly original, exciting and game changing exploration of writer, spy, power player, lover Aphra Behn. Thrilling, scholarly, powerfully researched, this is Aphra as she's never been seen before' Kate Williams, historian and author of Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots
'The Scandal of the Century allows Hilton to showcase her skill for both historical and detective work and compelling, evocative writing . . . compelling to read [and] refreshingly transparent . . . Her fresh ideas could open up exciting paths for future scholars' BBC History Magazine
'An enjoyable read . . . challenging - but always entertaining' Literary Review
'Engaging, ingenious, lively . . . Hilton skilfully narrates background material of the Restoration' TLS
The Scandal of the Century features in the following genres: Biography: writers, Biography: historical, political and military, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, European history
The Scandal of the Century is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Scandal of the Century was written by Lisa Hilton and published by Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
The Scandal of the Century has 352 pages
£9.89