Do audiobooks beat the traditional page turner?

We live in an age that allows us to choose the format in which a novel, play or poem can be accessed. Your reading experience inevitably changes when you choose between physically holding a copy of a text and listening to the voice of a narrator. New technologies are continually developing and allowing for varied reading experiences. Does this mean that the simplicity of picking up a copy of a book is now archaic?

As children, the way in which we first interpret a story is by listening to the voice of a parent or teacher. Hence, it is not surprising audiobooks have boomed in popularity in the last 20 years. They are a popular choice for many who may feel they do not have ‘time’ to sit down and physically read a text of their choice. Other buyers find it easier to comprehend a text when having it read to them. The Amazon-owned company ‘Audible,’ the biggest producer of books in audible format, launched in 1995 and continues to be a major success. 

How an individual actor interprets a book has an unavoidable effect on the listener…

For authors, audiobooks give them a platform through which to sell to a broader readership. Such readers may not have picked up a classic literary text before. Recently, Margaret Atwood announced an adaption of her first graphic novel, Angel Catbird, with Audible. However, for me, the idea of listening to a ‘graphic novel’ is puzzling. The design of graphic novels requires the reader to interpret the images the novel presents. If we convert a graphic novel into an audiobook, can we still identify it as a graphic novel?

Psychologically, there is no difference between reading or listening to a story. They both engage in similar cognitive processes which stimulate the brain. However, the experience of an audiobook is very different to that of reading a book. You have the voice and accent of an actor in your head. How this individual actor interprets a book, the placement of emphasis they give to certain sentences and passages, has an unavoidable effect on the listener. It is their version of the book you hear, rather than your own. 

For me, trying to analyze a text, while listening to it, is impossible…

By contrast, while physically reading a book, the reader is in control of the different voices their brain creates. With an audiobook, someone else is in charge. The narrator places themselves between you and the author. This risks it becoming ‘their’ book, which may limit your interpretation and understanding of a novel.  

Audiobooks are undeniably a success story. However, for some readers, they can make you a passive a participant in the process. Your mind can easily drift when you are listening to someone speaking continuously. In comparison, reading a book is active, and it can even be ‘hard work.’ You have to concentrate on each line, turn the pages, and cut out all distractions. 

As I am studying English Literature, the option of being able to listen to at least one of four of the texts we are required to read each week is appealing. Several people in my seminars choose to read copies of the set text via audiobook. However, for me, trying to analyze a text, while listening to it, is impossible. Having been told by previous teachers and seminar tutors to always read a text with a pen in my hand, the concept of aural analysis appears arduous.

Audiobooks have become hugely profitable, and every bookshop now possesses a stand of audiobooks…

To summarise, our experience of reading a text comes down to personal preference. When reading for pleasure, audiobooks are a great way to relax, but regarding the analysis of them, their credibility becomes questionable. Audiobooks are useful during long journeys. For example, you may have the opportunity to catch up on something you have long wanted to read. Personally, though, they do not have the same feel as a book. 

As technology continues to evolve, this will hopefully not obliterate the production of printed versions of texts. Clearly, audiobooks have established their place and made their mark in the literary world. They have become hugely profitable, and every bookshop now possesses a stand of audiobooks. However, in my opinion, they will never replace the physical pleasure of turning pages. That is one of the many joys of reading!