Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Langdon smith

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was KEEP. This is an odd one. The author requested deletion, and per WP:CSD it should be deleted per G7. However, this is a fairly developed article on the author of a clearly notable poem, so per WP:OWN I'm going to disallow a G7. The nom and one of the Delete votes where basically based on "I don't understand what this is." I don't see think there should be any real problem understanding what this is, especially if it were rewritten. It is a rather odd case require a rather unique solution - a bio of multiple persons in one article under their shared name - but makes sense because for notability purposes they are linked to the one poem. Interesting case. A fairly clear Keep in my opinion if one discounts CSD G7, which I have chosen to do. Herostratus 00:53, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Langdon smith

Delete. Is this an attempt at a disambiguation page or what? I don't really understand what this is about. --דניאל ~ Danielrocks123 ^{talk contribs Email} 04:59, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
Speedy Delete per G7 (See comment by Chooper at the bottom of this discussion). --דניאל ~ Danielrocks123 ^{talk contribs Email} 19:28, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

• Weak Keep As per above, I'm not quite sure what this is. But if his sources are from the oxford dictionary of quotations, then these people might actually be notable and might deserve articles. Would need to do more research, though, and the article would need a complete re-write... will381796 05:05, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Delete — me neither. Dionyseus 05:06, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Keep and rewrite. Appears to have been a respected artist, poet and illustrator. See [1], [2]. Google search is much more effective for him without the middle initial.--Fuhghettaboutit 05:21, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Comment: "Articles on American Literature Appearing in Current Periodicals", in American Literature 1963, p. 123, includes a listing of an item by Gardner, Martin: "When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish", AR, XXII, 332-340 (Fall, 1962), which is described as being 'On "Evolution" by Langdon Smith (1858-1908)'. I can't find the abbreviations, so I have no idea what "AR" stands for, but I guess whoever is willing to rewrite the article may be able to decipher that. (I would have guessed American Review, but it doesn't seem to fit). Frederick L. Gwynn, "The Functional Allusions in Conrad Aiken's Mr. Arcularis", in Twentieth Century Literature 1956, p. 23, briefly discusses a reference to the line "When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish" in the work under discussion. (Both references courtesy of JSTOR.) Google indicates that this line has also been recycled in a song on the Muppet Show at some point. The LOC catalogue has a few hits for Langdon Smith both as author and illustrator. up+l+and 06:01, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Comment: I am open to the possibility of this article being deleted. It is admittedly crudely presented and the information must be regarded as unreliable as it clearly conflicts. It is not an attempt at a disambiguation page. It is a start which I will follow through on and which I hope others will support me on. To clarify my intentions for this article, it should become a biography of Langdon Smith, the poet and whatever else he was (sources conflict horribly). He is noteworthy for having written "Evolution," a well-read poem. I've been looking for more information on the man. It seems many people on various internet forums have expressed interest in finding out more about him. For this reason, I feel this article could blossom into something quite valuable. Then again, maybe starting from scratch with more solid information is the best way to go about this, so long as someone does it. I would like to contribute. Chooper 08:09, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Comment: Having done further research, it seems clear that this will be a difficult case. Langdon Smith's life does not appear well documented. There are several strong resources I may be able to enlist over the next week to dredge up more information on the man. It may ultimately be best to delete this entry all together, and begin a new one under the little "evolution," which might be appropriately referenced in a disambiguation page for evolution. In any event, interest in the matter is strong, but centered heavily around the poem rather than the man. Therefore, an article under that title may be better. Perhaps this is something some of you may be interested in helping with. Chooper 09:53, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Comment. If the life of Langdon Smith is not well documented, as Chooper stated, it seems to me that there should not be a Wikipedia article about him due to WP:V. If, however, there is strong interest in his poem, I would not oppose the creation of an article entitled Evolution (poem). --דניאל ~ Danielrocks123 ^{talk contribs Email} 18:26, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
• Delete: I am away from my campus right now, so I've only had access to internet sources and my own limited literary sources. I will be able to say for sure whether he is well known when i return. For now, lets delete the article, and I'll begin writing a formal entry on the poem. Chooper 17:58, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.