Listening to Literature: Experiencing Literary Audiobooks

Wider Research Context: Auditory reception has always been an important way of consuming literature, but in the twenty-first century listening to literature has again become a substantial and vivid practice, particularly in the form of audiobooks. But despite their popularity, audiobooks are still regarded as a minor aesthetic form in the humanities, and listening to literature is often seen as a shallow alternative to reading a printed book. As academic research in this field is still rare, it seems important to address this gap by investigating the specific practices and experiences of listening to literary audiobooks thoroughly and comparing it with traditional print reading. Research Questions: The proposed project seeks to further a systematic understanding and empirical investigation of the consequences for individuals’ literary experiences when they shift from reading to listening to narrative fiction. The main research question of the project is: are there any measurable differences if the same literary narrative is read in print or listened to as an audiobook in terms of crucial dimensions of the literary experience such as (1) text comprehension, (2) aesthetic emotions, (3) identification and engagement with narrative characters, and (4) immersion in the narrated world? Furthermore, we question if possible differences depend on specific narrative techniques and on the surroundings and context in which the literary text is received. Methods: Due to the lack of empirical studies on audiobook listening, especially with a focus on literary texts, the project uses a mixed methods approach to explore the phenomena of audiobook listening in as many ways as possible. In concrete terms, we will conduct two experiments, each focusing on different aspects of the literary experience. Additionally, to gain an even deeper understanding of the findings of the experiments, we will conduct a series of focus group interviews. Level of Innovation: The proposed project will adopt an explicit literary studies perspective with a special focus on narrative techniques and their transformation through the voice, drawing on social science methods. Thus, the proposed project not only deals with a timely subject but is also methodologically innovative by examining dimensions of the reading experience of the same literary text with different media (printed book, audiobook) and focusing on specific characteristics of literature as well as the environments in which the literary text is received. Primary Researchers Involved:• Assoz. Prof. Mag. Dr. Günther Stocker: Department of German Studies, University of Vienna• Univ.-Prof. Hajo Boomgaarden, PhD, MA: Department of Communication, University of Vienna• Annika Schwabe, MSc BSc BA.: Department of German Studies & Department of Communication, University of Vienna• Mag. Lukas Brandl: Department of German Studies, University of Vienna