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?

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whoshotthemouse t1_iyaptny wrote on November 30, 2022 at 12:18 AM

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.

carbondrewtonium t1_iyb8gm1 wrote on November 30, 2022 at 2:40 AM

I could have went for more of The Stranger

il_biciclista t1_iyckftb wrote on November 30, 2022 at 11:49 AM

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.

pineapplesf t1_iyadlhc wrote on November 29, 2022 at 10:50 PM

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.

ReverendJared OP t1_iyafdb5 wrote on November 29, 2022 at 11:03 PM

I never said Dorian Gray would have been better if it was longer though

youngbobdylan t1_iyag3gf wrote on November 29, 2022 at 11:08 PM

Huh. When I read Dorian Gray, I kept thinking, “I wish this had been a short story!”