Talk:Characters of Peter Pan

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[edit] Mergers

I've proposed that several articles about supporting characters in the Peter Pan mythos be merged and redirected to this page. The main reason for this is the criterion that the subject of any WP article should be independently notable. Specifically, we need to be able to cite multiple reliable sources (not counting the original work) which refer to the subject, and not just a passing mention that such-and-such character appears in a notable work of fiction. Secondarily, by creating a catch-all page for Peter Pan characters, WP has a place to briefly identify characters who clearly are not independently notable. I've proposed merging the following:

  • George Darling (Peter Pan) and Mary Darling - Most people don't even know their given names, and there really isn't all that much to say about them.
  • John Darling (Peter Pan) and Michael Darling - Much more recognizable characters, but once you get beyond their ages, appearances, and personalities... what does anyone really say about them?
  • Smee - Likewise, Smee is basically Hook's sidekick, and not notable on his own.
  • Tiger Lily (Peter Pan) - I'm a little annoyed with JMB for leaving this character so sketchy and one-dimensional, but he did.
  • Molly Aster - although she is a major character of the Starcatcher books, I'm not finding many third-party references that discuss her except in the context of reviewing the books themselves, which means that the articles about the books should be adequate to describe her.

I didn't propose that the Lost Boys (Peter Pan) be merged here, because collectively they are definitely notable (e.g. a movie named after them). And I think it's clear that Peter, Wendy, Hook, and Tink are all notable. - JasonAQuest (talk) 19:15, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

  • Smee seems to be pretty well-known on his own. I've no opinion about the others. older ≠ wiser 03:17, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

I disagree with this merge proposal. They are important characters in the storyline. Angie Y. (talk) 18:48, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

That's not the question. The question is whether they are notable in the world outside the story, because a proper Wikipedia article has to be built from more that just what a fiction writer puts in their book. It requires articles about the characters found in outside sources. From Wikipedia:Notability: "A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject." I don't believe that's true of these characters. Furthermore, scattering information about supporting characters like this turns Wikipedia into a scavenger hunt. - JasonAQuest (talk) 19:33, 2 February 2008 (UTC)