Audiobook Awesomeness: Persuasion and Wuthering Heights

Ah 18^th Century classics. Most students will come across these authors in their academic tenure as both authors have cult followings as well as haters. I love Jane Austen’s works, but Wuthering Heights always caused me problems. I would try to read it (and have tried several times), but for some reason about 30 pages into it I could not continue. If you haven’t yet, please check out my post on chronic non-finishing.

Now in terms of an audiobook, I loved listening to both these classics. The narrators did an excellent job with the expressions, especially Wuthering Heights. Her version of Heathcliff was evil and ferocious and I loved it. I found myself laughing at little jokes and appalled by Catherine and Heathcliff’s antics.

I am happy that I have accomplished the story of Wuthering Heights, but I do not see the obsession. I took a class titled “Victorian Couples” my freshman year of college and many of my colleagues loved the Brontes. They always raved about their love story. I can now officially say...I don't understand why. Heathcliff and Catherine are awful people and pretty much destroy everyone’s lives around them. The embarrassing moments of Heathcliff’s childhood and constant humiliation would lead him to do the crazy, twisted things he did understandably. However, his revenge just had no end.  At some point he just needed to build a bridge and get over it. Everyone who had ruined Heathcliff’s childhood died and he still continued his d-bag ways.

On to Persuasion. The audiobook was done quite well, though I think I would have preferred a female narrator. For some reason a lady narrator does a better job at male voices, whereas the male narrator of Persuasion sounded hilarious doing female characters. If you ever get a chance, you all should listen to the Harry Potter series on audiobook. Jim Dale's Hermione is quite laughable. 

I feel that audiobooks can assist reluctant readers, especially teens. I know I said this in my previous Audiobook Awesomeness post.  This can easily be connected with teens and classics. Let’s face it, most teens (again probably none of us who read this blog) can’t stand the books our English teachers force us to read in school. Kafka was my nemesis and I still cannot tell you the point of Heart of Darkness. Suck it Conrad! Perhaps my readings of these classics would have been better if I could have listened to them as audiobooks.

If time permits, I would love to explore graphic novels as a medium for academic study. Some of us need more visual stimulation and graphic novels can provide a complex storyline and keep teens engaged.