Aphra Behn, Anne Wharton, and the Remaking of Rochester's Reputation.

This article critically reevaluates the assumed literary relationship between Aphra Behn, a Restoration playwright and poet, and John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, arguing that their connection was likely indirect and mediated primarily through Rochester’s niece, Anne Wharton. It challenges the traditional view that Rochester significantly influenced Behn’s writing, noting that most textual links between Behn and Rochester postdate his death in 1680 and often involve Wharton’s poetic correspondence and patronage efforts. The article situates Behn’s elegy "On the Death of the late Earl of Rochester" within a mid-1680s campaign, led by Wharton, to rehabilitate Rochester’s reputation, highlighting how Behn’s engagement with Rochester’s legacy was strategic and tied to her relationship with Wharton rather than a direct literary influence. It also sheds light on Wharton’s emerging role as a poet and literary curator, and discusses the implications of these interactions for Behn’s self-presentation as a poet during a transitional phase in her career.