What makes a tale timeless? It’s the sense that even over centuries, human beings grapple with the same big problems, again and again. Romeo and Juliet deals with two lovers at odds with the expectations and biases of their families, and shows us the tragic consequences of failing to see our loved ones with clear eyes and full hearts. A story of love, loyalty, and the desperate measures we take when we’re ruled by our passions, Romeo and Juliet stands the test of time as a true classic.

Virginia Woolf wrote of Aphra Behn, “All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn…For it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” The first English woman to earn her living openly as a writer, Behn wrote The Rover in 1655, and won great acclaim for its bawdiness, fun, and daring.

Taking place during Carnival in Spain, The Rover deals with sexual intrigue, mistaken identities, and uncontrollable desire as the characters struggle to find love and societal acceptance. The story reminds us that even in the 17th-century, women were fighting for agency, freedom, and equality.