If there is such a thing as a graphic novel, I don't see why there shouldn't be such a thing as an audio novel.
The term 'audio novel' is not my invention. There are almost 85,000 results when you google "audio novel" (with the quotation mark). But to put this number into perspective, there are nearly 7 million results when you google "graphic novel". This implies that there is still plenty of grey areas when it comes to audio novels, which I think should be explored.
What came up in the Google results for 'audio novels' were authors recording readings of their books and publishing them as podcasts. Semantically speaking, yes, they are audio novels because:
a) they are stories (the 'novel' bit)
b) they are appreciated by listening rather than reading like conventional novels (the 'audio' bit)
But for me, that definition is closer to audiobooks. If anything, audiobooks are a companion to the conventional novel, rather than constituting a separate genre. No disrespect to the 'audio novel' authors, but they can always publish their works as conventional novels (in print or electronic) if recording them doesn't work in the long run. After all, they were reading off the novel when they recorded it.
What I have in mind when I talk about audio novels is something that constitutes a separate genre. It cannot be published into a conventional novel because it will be ungainly and its unique characteristics will be destroyed. Hence, an audio novel can only materialize in one form, which is audio. For me, an audio novel is a marriage between music and speech in conveying a story. The music and the speech work together; you cannot fully appreciate the story in an audio novel just by listening to the words. The music contributes to the mood and pace of the story while the words contribute to the setting, characterization and plot.
It's the same like graphic novels, where pictures and written text combine to tell a story. You cannot expect to enjoy a graphic novel by just reading the words. Even if the dialogue and the captions in a graphic novel is sufficient to convey an understandable story, the pictures contain much more details that enrich the narrative. For example, the graphic novel Watchmen contains so much detail in the artwork which isn't even mentioned in the text.
I don't believe I can propose a definition of an audio novel just yet. What I have in mind are just concepts of how an audio novel should be. Off the top of my head, I'd say that Immortal Technique's song Dance with the Devil is a kind of audio novel. So is Jedi Mind Tricks' Uncommon Valor, Killah Priest's Deja Vu and Nas' I Gave You Power (search these titles to listen). Either way, I believe there won't be such a thing as an audio novel until someone come up with a work that is explicitly labeled as an "audio novel". Only then can we flesh out a definition based on that work's characteristics.
Maybe the next step in my journey as a rapper is to make an audio novel.
Thanks for reading
The Rhymeweaver
The Rhymeweaver
Malaysian hip hop for the intelligent listener
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