Pygmalion vs The Alchemist, 1612: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Comedies, British and irish drama, London, Drama
Pygmalion
More
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…
The Alchemist, 1612
More
Samuel Taylor Coleridge said of Ben Jonson's _The Alchemist_ that it had one out of the three most perfect plots in literature. This play, with its sharp portrayal of human folly, is considered by many to be Jonson's…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Pygmalion highest: Pygmalion 3.9 · The Alchemist, 1612 3.5.
- Pygmalion is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 4 for The Alchemist, 1612.
- Pygmalion has the widest readership — 111828 ratings behind its score.
- The Alchemist, 1612 runs the darker storyline; Pygmalion stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Pygmalion | The Alchemist, 1612 | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (111828) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (150) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (30) | 3.0 (81) |
Reception
| Pygmalion | The Alchemist, 1612 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 111828 | 81 |
| Editions | 142 | 200 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 73718 | — |
| Reading it now | 2799 | — |
| Written reviews | 4320 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 24922 | — |
| Pages | 134 | 254 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Pygmalion or The Alchemist, 1612?
Pygmalion has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pygmalion 3.9/5, The Alchemist, 1612 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Pygmalion or The Alchemist, 1612?
Pygmalion is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Pygmalion (134 pages, ≈ 2 h 29 m); The Alchemist, 1612 (254 pages, ≈ 4 h 42 m).
Which is harder to read: Pygmalion or The Alchemist, 1612?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Pygmalion: Challenging; The Alchemist, 1612: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Pygmalion: 5 film adaptations; The Alchemist, 1612: no film adaptation on record.