Oroonoko: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Oroonoko, credited to Thomas Southerne, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Oroonoko by Thomas Southerne. Based on Aphra Behn's 1688 novel (which is one of the earliest novels in the English language), Thomas Southerne's Oroonoko is seen by scholars today as the driving force that kept Behn's work from fading into obscurity. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was considered even more popular than the novel, presenting theatergoing audiences with a highly touching tale of pathos and tragedy involving the eponymous prince-turned-slave and his undying devotion to his beloved wife, Imoinda. However, in this version, unlike in Behn's novel, Imoinda is a white woman, and there is also a comic subplot involving the husband-hunting Welldon sisters that caters to Restoration tastes (though in later productions, this subplot was removed altogether). This LibriVox production presents the play as it was first written, and in doing so, brings to the fore a number of interesting themes, such as the importance of individual liberty; the infallibility of true love; and the quick wit and determination of strong, independent women. Summary by Tomas Peter Cast List: Oroonoko: ToddHW Aboan: Larry Hayes Lieutenant-Governor of Surinam / Slave: Algy Pug Blanford: Tomas Peter Stanmore: Jason in Panama Jack Stanmore: Kurt Captain Driver: Roger Melin Daniel Lackitt / Hottman / Second Planter: Nemo Imoinda: Sandra Schmit Widow Lackitt: Leanne Yau Charlotte Welldon: Beth Thomas Lucy Welldon / Women Slaves: Sonia First Planter: Melanie T Third Planter: Paezra Fourth Planter: Thomas A. Copeland Singing Slave: Alan Mapstone Servant: Devorah Allen Narrator / Women Slaves: Eva Davis Editor: Tomas Peter

Recording facts

• Recording title: Oroonoko
• Author credits: Thomas Southerne
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 5
• Listed recording duration: 2:47:09

Catalogue topics

• drama
• slavery
• tragicomedy
• restoration
• oroonoko

Track guide

1. 01 - Act 1 — 37:24
2. 02 - Act 2 — 34:28
3. 03 - Act 3 — 26:05
4. 04 - Act 4 — 26:29
5. 05 - Act 5 — 42:42

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.