Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Peer review/George Bernard Shaw

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[edit] George Bernard Shaw

I have provided new information, supplied citations, deleted errors and organized the structure. Next, I will make the style uniform; it is now patchy because it is composed of contributions by a lot of editors. Before I request a better rating I would like suggestions for improving the content of the article.

Wugo 01:38, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Review by Awadewit

I think that this has the potential to be an excellent article, but it still needs some work. I'm glad someone has taken up this page - Shaw is an important literary figure. Here are my suggestions.

  • For such an important figure, I think that you can expand the lead. Right now it seems dominated by small details (such as tree-pruning and vegetarianism) rather than focused on explaining the significance of Shaw and his work to the reader. WP:LEAD
  • Infobox: Social realism seems like an ideology to me rather than a genre. Wouldn't play and novel be more appropriate in the genre category?
  • There seems to be an excess of dates in the opening of the biography. I'm not sure all of those are necessary.
  • Many of your statements simply need more explanation for the reader unfamiliar with Shaw and his work.
He gave this attitude flesh and blood in the prologue of Cashel Byron's Profession, and underscored it in his Treatise on Parents and Children. - what did he say in these works exactly? (we don't necessarily want people to have read entire works to understand the article)
The Perfect Wagnerite, printed in 1898, typifies Shaw’s views on Wagner. - examples?
He made it a forum for considering moral, political and economic issues. - much more needs to be said here - which issues in particular?
His overriding motivation for writing was to further humanitarian and political agendas. - vague - which agendas? (Also when beginning a section, always start again with Shaw, so the reader knows who "he" is.)
  • Rather than linking to your source, please cite it in a footnote. Also, if you eventually want to submit this for GA or FA (and I hope you eventually will), this will need many more citations from reputable, scholarly biographies. WP:CITE
  • The biography section is quite short given Shaw's importance as a literary figure. Could you flesh that out?
  • The "Novels" section should say something about the themes of his novels and how they were received. Also, please change the list into prose.
  • Might you also consider including a section on Shaw's style?
  • Rather than discussing the publication of Shaw's letters, might you discuss Shaw as a letter-writer? What made him distinctive?
  • Perhaps the bit on vegentarianism could be integrated into the biography section?
  • Might you also include some information on Shaw's literary legacy? What other playwrights and authors did he influence, for example?
  • Also, it would be nice to have a complete list of Shaw's works, not just the ones available online. Awadewit 05:52, 3 March 2007 (UTC)