[Inter]midialidade em ondas sonoras : uma proposta de categorização para os audiolivros.

Abstract

This thesis, developed in a multipaper format, aims to propose a categorization for audiobooks based on Intermedial Studies. The first axis establishes the conceptual foundations of the study, drawing on the theoretical model proposed by Lars Elleström (2021) to expand the understanding of audiobooks within an intermedial context. In this regard, concepts such as archimediation and affordance are discussed as distinguishing categories among different sound media types, as well as the boundaries between reading, oralization, and remediation, particularly with regard to the performance of synthetic voices generated by Artificial Intelligence. Still within this axis, the figure of the voice agent is examined, proposing the term “lector” as a central category and distinguishing different types of sound performance based on Peircean semiotics. The second axis focuses on the analysis of transmediation processes, exploring how narratives originating from different media types, such as literature, cinema, comics, and video games, are reconfigured into the audiobook format. Through case studies, the transformations of visual and narrative qualities into sound elements are examined, with particular attention to how sound performance, music and sound effects contribute to the construction of narrative immersion. In this context, the relationships between audiobooks and other forms of sound media types, such as fiction podcasts, are also discussed, as well as the adaptation of comics into the format of audio comics, highlighting the multisemiotic complexity of these productions. The third axis culminates in the formulation of a classification of audiobooks. By considering the audiobook as an autonomous medium, the study identifies three main categories: (I) theatrical audiobooks, which emphasize vocal expressiveness and the dramaturgical dimension of narration; (II) cinematic audiobooks, which recreate an immersive experience akin to cinematic language through the articulation of multiple voices, musical scores, and sound effects; and (III) conventional audiobooks, characterized by a continuous and apparently neutral reading, similar to the experience of silent reading. This proposed categorization aims not only to organize audiobooks but also to broaden the understanding of the role of sound in narrative construction, demonstrating how different combinations of sound performance, music, and sound effects produce distinct forms of aesthetic experience. Finally, the study discusses the potential effects and applications of this categorization in both academic research and the publishing market, pointing toward new avenues for investigation and practice.