I admit that audiobooks are not my preferred form of media, but I still feel compelled to defend the art form. I dislike when people try to claim that listening to audiobooks counts as reading the book. That is patently false. If you can do it while driving, it is not reading. My problem with this belief is not an attempt to gatekeep or claim people are not reading. My problem is that this belief denigrates audiobooks. Audiobooks are a different but equally valid form of media as books.
Why is the phrase “listening to audiobooks is the same as reading” problematic? It makes an implicit statement that reading is somehow better than listening. Setting yearly reading challenges is a common practice online in attempt to hold oneself accountable and read more. But how many people say, “I want to listen to 1000 hours of podcasts this year”? People claim they want to watch less Netflix and read more books. How many people claim they want to read fewer books and watch more Netflix? Reading has a cultural cachet that other forms of media lack.
Another problem with equating audiobook listening and book reading is the difference in media format. For centuries, books have been written with the page in mind. Writers hone their craft under the assumption that most reading these days will occur silently and alone. Format differences are important. Reading Romeo and Juliet is not the best way to experience the story; watching excellent dramatists on stage is far superior. Christopher Nolan movies are far less impressive when watched on a phone. The best artists know how to get the most out of their chosen medium, and adaptations often lose too much.
However, the boom in interest in audiobooks is turning audiobooks into an art form all its own. Publishers and producers are now taking advantage of the audio format. No longer is there a monotone reader droning on and on while reading the text. Professional voice actors are brought in to add flair and flavor that is impossible to convey through printed text. Dramatic readings involving casts of readers are becoming more common. As the audience for audiobooks grows, audiobook presentation will continue to improve.
The impetus for this post comes from the dramatic reading of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall produced by Livrivox. I like Livrivox and other public domain audiobook producers because the price is right and they often have podcast feeds so I can sprinkle chapters in amongst my other listening. This particular reading of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall shows off the talents of Chris Marcellus as Mr. Arthur Huntingdon. It is impossible to prove a counterfactual, but I don’t think I would have despised Huntingdon nearly so much without Marcellus’s sneering voice. Every time Huntingdon had something to say I would think, “Man, this dude just sucks. What an asshole.” Marcellus’s voice never once let me accidentally glaze over Huntingdon’s lines or put in a more generous interpretation of the character. This is the power of good audiobooks.
I want everyone to embrace what audiobooks do well and celebrate them as a discrete form of art. We should all stop putting them down by comparing them to a “better” media. Audiobooks can offer more than the written word. As long as producers continue to leverage the strengths of audio, I will continue to rail against the claim that listening an audiobook is the same as reading the book.
The Keasy Depot 