Oroonoko: First Impressions

First of all, I just want to share how much I loved Behn's text; I found myself heavily invested from the beginning. In fact I became irrevocably attached after I read, "An ill hand may diminish, but a good hand cannot augment its beauty" (3). From first impressions, I'm very impressed.
Dr. Cervantes addressed the term "world"/"worlds" and its significance considering the context in which it is used; my first impression of the use of this word in context was its precise and purposeful ability to convey awe and alienation simultaneously. As she builds the exposition to her story, reference to this word creates an unfathomable distance while intriguing the reader at the same time with possibilities. However, Behn sheds light on her meaning of the word: "these countries do, in all things, so far differ from ours that they produce inconceivable wonders; at least they appear so to us because new and strange" (5).
While reading through different segments of action, I noticed the absence of paragraphs which would last for page or so. During these segments of the text, I noticed my inability to put down the book. Her stream-of-consciousness writing pulls the reader closer to the experience and in so doing, the reader feels an intimate connection which contributes to the excitement of such a testimony. Behn is aware of the unabridged style of her story as she confesses the amount of time taken to write it: "It will be no commendation to the book to assure your Lordship I writ it in a few hours... for I never rested my pen a moment for thought" (5).
One of my favorite bits of text involved Caesar fishing for proof of the eel's ability to harm with paralytic consequences. Although he laughed at cautionary tales of the eel, he grabbed on even tighter "and fainting fell into the river" (55). What exactly did he think would happen, even if it was for "experiment sake" (55)?