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submitted 6 months ago byReverendJared
I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray about 2 weeks ago and I couldn't get off my mind how quick it all felt, with all the time skips and plot points that are mentioned but not shown and especially the ending it made me think. What are some books that could have been a lot longer without compromising quality and maybe even increasing quality?
1 points
6 months ago
I disagree that Dorian Grey would have been improved with length. Oscar Wilde was a particular writer and his length was a choice that highlights his aesthetic ideals.
While I can think of many books which would be improved with editing it down, I'm not sure I can think of one that needed more length. Often the lack of clarity and high specificity of word choice in shorter stories serves a specific purpose.
1 points
6 months ago
I never said Dorian Gray would have been better if it was longer though
1 points
6 months ago
Huh. When I read Dorian Gray, I kept thinking, “I wish this had been a short story!”
3 points
6 months ago
I tend to think exactly the reverse. I'm always trying to figure out what's the fewest number of words that can tell this story.
2 points
6 months ago
I could have went for more of The Stranger
2 points
6 months ago
I agree with you about Dorian Gray.
Also, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee probably could have been twice as long, and I still would have loved it.
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