The Virginian; A Horseman of the Plains (1902) - Owen Wister Audiobook

Written by Owen Wister
Read by Robert G. Slade
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
Publisher: 2019 Naxos Audiobooks

In this romantic and raw adventure set in the untamed wilderness of Wyoming of 1886, an anonymous college graduate ventures out west where he encounters gun fights, lynching, cattle rustlers, high-stake poker games, Indian attacks, and a brave, honest and imposing cowboy known simply as the Virginian.

Presented as the archetypal, ideal hero of the ‘western’ genre (which was novelised for the very first time in this same book), the Virginian, a foreman at Shiloh Ranch, carries a strong sense of justice. This wins him the heart of independent young schoolteacher Molly Stark, and finds his sworn enemy Trampas at the end of a gun.

The novel developed many of the central tropes and themes of the western, including morality, faith and honour, and it presents its formidable, unforgiving landscape in stunning detail. The Virginian’s unwavering beliefs in right and wrong are soon tested as he tries to prove his love for a woman who cannot accept his sense of justice; at the same time, a betrayal by his most trusted friend forces him to fight against the corruption that rules the land.

Still as exciting and meaningful as it was when first published over one hundred years ago, Owen Wister’s epic tale of a man caught between his love for a woman and his quest for justice exemplifies one of the most significant and enduring themes in all of American literature. With remarkable character depth and vivid passages, The Virginian stands not only as the first great novel of American Western literature, but as a testament to the eternal struggle between good and evil in humanity.