Behn portrays the narrator as their own character through asides containing biased descriptions. Through these asides and throughout the novel, the narrator responds to the events unfolding by both condemning and sympathizing with them. The narrator is distinguished by following a trend of adopting a level of anonymity and secrecy that mirrors the reality in which Aphra Behn was writing her, often perceived as, sordid secret histories.[9] This ambiguous spectator serves the specific narrational purpose of delving into and exploring what happens in private and making public the secret interpersonal affairs of the characters.[9] The narrator also functions as Behn's voice by adding a distinctive commentary on conventions within fiction by specifically addressing passion. She follows the themes of other amatory fiction authors by neither disparaging or encouraging it. These rhetorical devices distinguish Behn's writing from other writers of her time, and had a distinct influence and inspiration upon other authors such as Eliza Haywood.[10]
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