Behn rose to prominence during a time of political unrest when the general public began to question the idea of monarchy. She was known as an avid Tory which is associated with the “politics of patriarchalism”[4] and support of the original monarchy. Behn’s Toryism came after the ride of the Cromwell’s and the conflict between the Puritans and the Royalists.[5] Even though Behn's Toryism shows in her writings, she often showed female characters as more clever or intelligent than the male characters. This concept is not in line with a traditional Tory view since Toryism stands on the grounds of supporting a strong patriarchy.
In The Fair Jilt, Miranda outsmarts the male characters by scheming in order to get her way on several occasions, such as convincing Tarquin to kill her sister or accusing Henrick of rape. Behn allows Miranda to explore her abilities as a strong female character, in contrast to the typical rigid separation of masculinity and femininity under Toryism. By the end of The Fair Jilt, Miranda still falls victim to a more traditional role. Through this resolution, Behn humbles her character and reverts back to supporting the more patriarchal views that she was known for politically.
The story is dedicated to "Henry Pain, Esq.", also known as Henry Neville Payne, a Roman Catholic agitator who was later arrested and tortured for his involvement in the Montgomery Plot of 1689.[1]
Behn claims that the story is true and that she witnessed much of it herself. Editor Montague Summers writes in his introduction to The Works of Aphra Behn (1915) that the story is only loosely based on actual events: "With all the nice skill of a born novelist she has so mingled fact and fancy, what did occur and what might have been, that any attempt to disentangle the twain would be idle indeed."[1] There was in fact a Prince Francisco de Tarquini who attempted to murder his sister-in-law but was spared death in 1666 after the executioner's initial stroke failed to kill him.[6] The London Gazette reported that the prince was only slightly wounded due to a mistake by the executioner, and was subsequently pardoned.[7]
