Hedda Gabler vs Pygmalion: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Dictionaries, Open_syllabus_project, English language, Drama
Hedda Gabler
“A spacious, handsome, and tastefully furnished drawing room, decorated in dark colours.”
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A masterpiece of modern theater, Hedda Gabler is a dark psychological drama whose powerful and reckless heroine has tested the mettle of leading actresses of every generation since its first production in Norway in…
Pygmalion
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Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological figure. It was first presented on stage to the public in 1913. --- Also contained in: Collected Plays with their Prefaces: Volume…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Pygmalion has the widest readership — 111828 ratings behind its score.
- Hedda Gabler runs the darker storyline; Pygmalion stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Hedda Gabler | Pygmalion | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (40370) | 3.9 (111828) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 3.6 (150) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (8) | 4.5 (30) |
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Reception
| Hedda Gabler | Pygmalion | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 40370 | 111828 |
| Editions | 371 | 142 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 14126 | 73718 |
| Reading it now | 399 | 2799 |
| Written reviews | 1612 | 4320 |
| Wikipedia attention | 9675 | 24922 |
| Pages | 102 | 134 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Hedda Gabler or Pygmalion?
Pygmalion has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pygmalion 3.9/5, Hedda Gabler 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Hedda Gabler or Pygmalion?
Hedda Gabler is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Hedda Gabler (102 pages, ≈ 1 h 53 m); Pygmalion (134 pages, ≈ 2 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: Hedda Gabler or Pygmalion?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Hedda Gabler: Challenging; Pygmalion: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Hedda Gabler: 5 film adaptations; Pygmalion: 5 film adaptations.