User talk:AlexandraSumner1221/sandbox

After talking with Schuette, I feel a little more comfortable, mostly because I let her know what I was struggling with, however, I'm still a littler nervous because most of the information I pulled was honestly from one article, so I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to be penalized. I cited the article (which I know is a little iffy in itself), and I also paraphrased. I guess I'll just have to wait and see? -Monica Mrodrig1016 (talk) 13:25, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * You should look at multiple sources in order to create the character section, not to "fulfill" an assignment requirement so much as to make your job easier. (I suppose it's "harder" in that you're reading more, but it's "easier" in that you'll be able to step back and have your own assessment of the characters.) Again, I would encourage you to write more about the role the character plays in the novel. Hopefully that will mean you don't have to rely on adjectives from the reviewers. Aschuet1 (talk) 18:08, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

advice to Abi
Is there any way to provide more detail in Themes or Reception, especially the latter. What did critics find to praise? to pan? to question?

Try not to start sentences with "such and such article said." Instead present the information something like, "Commentators like Augenbraum point out this was the first time the National Book Award for fiction was shared by two authors."

Aschuet1 (talk) 18:05, 28 October 2015 (UTC)


 * Professor Schuette, the themes section is harder to develop as most sources only talk about the first theme and merely list consequent themes. Because of this, I couldn't really expand this section more than it is.  However, I'm making the edit to the reception section and the other edit you suggested. Abouwma1 (talk) 19:38, 2 November 2015 (UTC)

advice to Alex
In looking at your source and your contribution, I'm not worried about plagiarism. I would have you think further about whether you've presented the plot of the novel or the plot of history. Again, working with multiple sources rather than one, you could more easily describe a plot that reflects your understanding rather than a single writer's understanding. I'm struck, for example, that there's no mention of the way the plot unfolds through letters and documents. I do get that that's about style, but in this case it seems to inform plot in a way, too, (not the "plot" of history, mind you, but the "plot" Williams wanted to tell). Aschuet1 (talk) 19:31, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

Additional Information & Our Process:
This assignment was rather difficult. However, as a group, we came to an agreement on what we should include and what we should take out based on overall importance to general plot, as well as whether or not certain details were relevant to a general reading/introduction. One of our main issues of contention was whether or not to include a "characters" section. Originally, with the articles provided, we were able to narrow down the characters into two categories: main characters and sub-characters; however, based on the Wikipedia Manual of Style: "characters [are] "brief outlines" only; recommended to skip this section if characters can be introduced through plot summary." Therefore, as we provided apt coverage of all the main characters in our plot, we chose removed our characters section completely, rather than be redundant. In addition, we also chose to remove the "adaptations" section simply because there are not any other adaptations for this novel.

Overall, our page is completed to the best of our abilities, given the resources we were given and the limited resources we could find.

In addition, future editors should flesh out the discord between Augustus and his daughter Julia, and attempt to compare and contrast these family issues with the political ones. Furthermore, a section connecting Augustus and John Williams' other works might be of interest: just how do his works compare to one another? How is this book different than his others? What elements of style remain original to this piece?

Mrodrig1016 (talk) 21:16, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

AlexandraSumner1221 (talk) 17:16, 30 October 2015 (UTC)