European guilt over colonialism , with its use of recently invented guns on people who did not have them inspired fictional treatments such as Aphra Behn 's novel Oroonoko , or the Royal Slave , about a slave revolt in Surinam in the West Indies . European angst over colonialism inspired fictional treatments such as Aphra Behn 's novel Oroonoko , or the Royal Slave ( 1688 ) , about a slave revolt in Surinam in the West Indies .