An advance in electronic publishing could make the book you are reading seem as out of date as a silent film. Publishers hope to exploit(充分利用) the growing success of ebooks by releasing versions with added soundtracks and musical accompaniment.
The noise in the first multimedia books—released in Britain—include rain hitting a window in a Sherlock Holmes tale. Works by Oscar Wilde and Rudyard Kipling are also available. When the plot of a book reaches a climax(高潮), background music will create tension. In America, works by Shakespeare and Jane Austen have already been released with music and background noise so that, for example, readers can hear tea cups clinking in Mr Darcy’s garden as they read Pride and Prejudice.
Supporters argue that sound effects are the next logical development for ebooks and will add excitement for younger readers. Critics, however, will argue that the noises will ruin the simple pleasure of having the imagination stimulated(激发) by reading.
Caroline Michel, chief executive of the literary agency PFD, said the new generation ofcomputer-literate readers was used to multiple sensory input. She said: “ Concentration now is such that people have split computer screens where they may be watching television and replying to an email at the same time. If that’s what the market wants then we should respond to the market.”
Booktrack’s sound effects work by estimating the user’s reading speed. Each time you “turn” a page, the software reassesses where you have reached in the text and times the sounds to switch on accordingly. If the soundtrack becomes out of synch(同步), a click on any word will re-set it.
Some authors fear a soundtrack could destroy the peace and quiet of libraries and ruin the pleasure of reading. David Nicholls, author of One Day, the bestseller now released as a film, said:” this sounds like the opposite of reading. It would be a distraction. I have enough trouble reading an ebook because I’m constantly disturbed by emails and so I’ve given up on it for the time being.”
Stuart MacBride, the crime writer whose novel Shatter the Bones was an ebook bestseller, sells 18% of his books as electronic downloads. He said: “If I’m reading, I will do the noises in my head. I don’t need someone to tell me what crunching gravel(嘎吱响的石子)sounds like. That would annoy me.”