Mac users can download literature study guides narrated by actors using MP3 or QuickTime applications, as educational publisher SparkNotes has announced SparkNotes Audio Study Guides. These downloadable audio guides will include readings of the complete SparkNotes literature guides by such thespians as Phil Morris (“Seinfeld”), Yvonne Craig (television’s original Batgirl) and Jason Robards III.
Each will be available in three different formats: MP3, QuickTime and Windows Media. Students can download the entire SparkNotes Audio Study Guide or just the sections they need most. There will also be versions of each guide offered that let the user read the text while listening to the audio recording. Additionally, students can search the audio files for specific words or phrases.
Each SparkNotes Audio Study Guide will contain the same literary summary and analysis that the print and online editions offer. The initial launch will include the following titles: To Kill a Mockingbird, Hamlet, The Odyssey, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Scarlet Letter. They’re available for downloading today at the SparksNotes Web site for US$4.95 per title.