Lately, I've been reading a lot about how long a novel should be. For example, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte are both around a hundred thousand words each. Longer than these is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which is over a hundred twenty thousand words. Then, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott sets at about a hundred fifty thousand works.
How long should a novel be? Obviously many writers and readers differ in answer to this question. While George R. R. Martin has written massive books, most writers today do not write novels past a hundred thousand words (ninety thousand seems to be average).
Over the years, I've come to believe more and more that one of the hallmarks of a good writer is not someone who simply writes well, but who knows when to cut out unneeded material from the story. For this reason, I am not impressed with Rowling's writing concerning Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sitting at about two hundred fifty thousand words on a bookshelf, I think that Rowling stretched her story into unnecessary subplots and details about the adolescents and their crushes throughout her Harry Potter series.
To me, the majority of books should be shorter than they are. I think that some people think of their work as more impressive if it compares in length to War and Peace, but most writers are not Leo Tolstoy. Besides, not every story (in my view) should go on to be such a massive book.
When it comes to the length of a novel, I think Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is in many ways the perfect size that most stories should be. The author did not overload her reader with unnecessary details about the story. Rather, readers stay engaged with this text as they anticipate where the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff is going. No wonder, Wuthering Heights is ranked among the greatest works of English literature.
In conclusion, I don't support short or average-sized novels for the purpose of them being short. Indeed, I think that Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is worthy of its length. However, most works of literature can be greatly condensed into a better and funnier read.
I remember you sharing this information with me and how I thought it was so interesting. Thanks for letting people know. This may help them in their writing.
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DeleteInteresting info! And agreed...revision is such an important part of writing...as important as creativity itself!
ReplyDeleteWhitney
Yes!
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