h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/A439463... this article needs perhaps a little more work to wrap it up, but includes outside lyrics and some very nice poems(her most-often quoted ones)... Please do consider!!!

Well-written, and a very good start. I agree you need a concluding paragraph to wrap the entry up. I think I'd like a little more commentary in the Faith and Strength of Words sections, but it might not be necessary. You will also need to remove the parenthetical (my favorite) in the links section, there aren't supposed to be references to the researcher within an edited entry.

Emily Dickenson falls within one of the strangest exceptions within the history of Copyright Law. I am not 100% sure the poems you reproduce here are in the public domain, even though Dickenson died well over 75 years ago (the usual rule of thumb I've seen). The issue is what happened when her poems were originally published, as you note in the quote from Judith Farr. Her poems were "normalized." (I cringe whenever I see an euphemism like that.) The normalized versions have been in the public domain for quite awhile. However, I assume it is the restored version you quote from. Offhand, I don't know when they were restored, nor do I know the length of copyright the restorers claim on them. When I took a Media Law course in college they weren't yet in the public domain, but that was close to 10 years ago.

If they aren't in the public domain, it might still be permissable to quote from the poems under the "fair use" rule for "educational purposes." That can be left up to the H2G2 lawyers to figure out, but I thought I'd just warn you there is a possibility you will be asked to edit the poem references. (Hopefully not though.)

In short, very good start, I'd like to see more added though if possible.

Gavroche

Thank you-- good things to know...

I never thought about the copyright. I've been naive enough to think that if you give the author credit and respect, that's all that needs to be done...

Thanks!!!

Emily Dickinson, one of my favourite poets. And I'm glad to see more literary material drifting into the Guide...

I agree it could probably do with a little more material to flesh it out a bit. If I was editing this (and I'm not an editor, so don't quote me here), I would be at a bit of a loss as to what to do with the big red quote at the top of the page. I might even edit it out, not because it isn't relevant - I think it definitely is (and I notice Gavroche mentions it favourably too), but because you don't really demonstrate its relevance in the article itself. Why not try writing a paragraph or two around that quote, in order to make its meaning more transparent, and also to make it more integral to the article as a whole. It would be a shame to risk losing it...

Some sort of conclusion at the end would help to round things off a bit.

I'm glad you put a bibliography in - not everyone bothers to include their references in their articles, which is a shame. Also, I like the idea of including web links.

In all - nice work, it could just do with a little filling out here and there.

PS - a couple of typos (I think)...

Puritism - Puritanism

attractied - attracted

Hee hee hee!!! Ok... This Miss Emily Dickinson(my most favorite poet) is going to be a lot more work than I thought... Oh, but she is well worth it!!!

Thank you for the viewpoints... I'd like to write more commentary around that first quote...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A439463

A good start - always nice to see appreciative literary entries.

However, I have one or two little gripes with this. Firstly, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of detail here (biographical or literary) and as a result, it looks a little bit like a nice list of quotations with GuideML headers dividing them.

Also, with the quotations from other critical works about Emily Dickinson, it reads more like a critical essay about her than a pithy and interesting entry. If you could rephrase the quotes and perhaps explain some of them as simply as possible (or at least draw attention to why they are of interest to the reader) then it would read some much better, IMHO.

Hope this helps!

Hello,

I'd have to echo what NexusSeven says. It's a very nice start, and it's great to see more literary entries.

Still, I think you should reduce some of the poetry quotations a bit. It's nice to have some examples of her poetry, but I see your angle as getting people to know who she is and why she's great. I think it might be nice to have one example of her poems (eg, "A narrow fellow in the grass", "Because I could not stop for death", etc.) in its entirety to illustrate her style but suggest anthologies (or websites) for further examples. A mention of her meter of diction might be useful (more than just her punctuation).

If you are curious about some of the other literary entries in the guide, check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A328664. It's the H2G2 literary guild. You might find it interesting.

I also feel like you should fill in some more of your own observations amidst the quotes. Perhaps summarizing some of the quotes instead of including them verbatim. I also recommend using the footnote functionality of GuideML instead of Parentheses.

Anyway, I'm sorry to quibble. I think it's great to see that you've written an entry on Emily Dickinson, and I hope to see it included into the edited guide one day.

Yours,
Jake

PS Just don't mention you can sing all of her poems to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas".

My response to this disappeared...

I wanted to thank you guys. I feel the same way, but I can't give this entry justice until I'm out of school--- in eight weeks.

Hello,

Understood. Definitely don't let H2G2 get in the way of your schoolwork. I guess when you've aced all your courses and rested a bit, then come back and edit it and post a little note on the changes in this thread. That'll bring it back up to the top (you'll have to search for it in conversations), and you can get more feedback then. Otherwise, good luck with your classes and thanks again for contributing to the guide.

Yours,
Jake

YEP!!!

Hi! Are you still working on this one?


Mikey

Herrrmmm... my last day of school is today... Do I have to work on this one!??

I would like to, but I'm also really NOT in the mood... you know!??

Hello,

No. You can take some time off and relax. This can wait till later... how's tomorrow then?

No, I tease. Take as long as you need. Then when you're ready. On the bright side, people here are definitely interested in your article, which is always a good thing.

Yours,
Jake

YEP!!! Well, it's about the BEST female poet on the North American continent, by golly!!! of COURSE people want to know!!!

That's a bit subjective, isn't it?

Personally, I find Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz the BEST female poet in the North American continent.

Is de la Cruz from the North American continent, or from the South!??

She's from Mexico. And last time I checked that is in the North American continent.

She has a better biography than Emily Dickenson, too, IMO. If you're ever idle, I suggest you look for it on the internet and read it.

OOOO... groovy then...

*poke, poke*

So where is this one going?

Umm Umm Umm... into the thing that makes it so that everyone could contribute!?? Or other interested researchers... ::sigh:: This is the last thing I want to do right now...

And I think you bruised my arm by poking it!!!