Aphra Behn, the first woman to make a living as a writer in English, known for her bold and controversial treatment of themes of sexuality and desire in her works, portrays important women's fiction voice in the history of literature. In The Fair Jilt, Behn creates a female imaginary that is contrary to that of the society she is familiar with. In Behn's imaginary world, femininity takes on the role of masculinity, moving from being the object of male desire to becoming the subject who desires; femininity also becomes ambitious and triumphant, exercising power through her sexuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In The Fair Jilt, the gender roles between femininity and masculinity are presented as often reversed. This novella tells the story of Miranda, a devious and ruthless woman born with a fatal beauty who takes pleasure in conquering men. Unlike the usual case in which women are considered objects of male sexual desire, Miranda instead takes on the role of desiring subject: she becomes sexually aggressive, seducing men by making them fall in love with her and taking the initiative in courtship. Her adoption of the male role of sexual aggressor is most pronounced in her obsessive love for Father Francisco. from her the beautiful Form that she tried to hide. She looked at him, as he bowed before her, and waited for her charity, until she saw the handsome friar blush and lower his eyes to the ground. "Through the inversion of the male gaze, here Miranda lusts after Father Francisco with her feminine gaze, reducing him in her eyes to a sexually desirable object, until he blushes and lowers his gaze to the ground. She thus becomes the male, instead of the female, who shows signs of shyness and passivity. Miranda continues to try to seduce Father Francisco into succumbing to her beauty and breaking his vow of chastity using every means possible, but out of anger and desperation, she threatens to “ruin” him and attempts to rape him. As Toni Bowers suggests, "in Miranda's inverted rape of the priest, Behn laughs at the expense of patriarchal love-as-rape scenarios...which invariably portrayed men as lustful brutes and women as sexual prey." Miranda adopts the masculine role of the “lustful brute” and applies to Father Francisco the verb “ruin,” a word normally used on women in reference to their loss of virginity or purity, making him her “sexual prey.” While Jorge Figueroa Dorrego interprets that Miranda has "an unconventional approach to sexuality challenging established notions of female passivity and chastity", through Miranda's characters and the men she seduces, swapping gender roles between femininity and masculinity, Behn challenges and mocks the gender roles established in his society. Femininity is also presented as ambitious and powerful. Unlike how women's desires are "unspeakable" in Behn's world, according to Ruth Salvaggio, Behn's creative world is a fantasy of female power and triumphant desires. Miranda is well aware of the power of her sexuality and her gender role, so she knows how to exploit her charm and beauty, to manipulate men and get what she wants. Her attempts to seduce Father Francisco are futile, but she manages to take revenge by making the authorities believe that she is the victim, taking advantage not only of her beauty, but also of the general belief that women tend to be sexually passive and innocent. She then moves on to her second love, Prince Tarquinio, whom she manages to enchant with her blushes.260