http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/libertinism Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:02:48 -0400 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:02:48 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1695/aphra-behns-the-rover-evaluating-womens-social-and-sexual-options By Ellen T. Goodson - Following the collapse of the Puritan Protectorate in 1660, the halls of court seemed to buzz with a festive attitude: “Out with the old and in with the… older.” Cavalier revelries under Charles II regained the notoriety of their pre-Cromwellian counterparts.  Britain’s king led his noblemen by example with a hedonistic lifestyle of parties, sex, and extravagant spending.  The social and sexual freedom of this “libertinism,” however, did not extend to ladies.  Although women might crave higher degrees of autonomy and sexual expression, their... Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1695/aphra-behns-the-rover-evaluating-womens-social-and-sexual-options