User talk:MishaGriego/sandbox

Feedback on potential topics
These both look like great candidates for improvement, and it's great that your ideas for improving them are coming from issues previous editors have noted. Improving in-line citations for the articles would be an excellent contribution, but feel free to think bigger too. You may find as you're researching the author(s) that there is a content gap as well, and you can help by adding information that you think is important. Ctextor at uofu (talk) 04:19, 11 February 2018 (UTC)

Feedback on Project Proposal
You're on the right track with your sources, and I think it would be great if you could bring some information over from the Japanese-language article and its sources. Donald Keene's "Dawn to the West" has a substantial chapter on Dazai which would also be a good source for you. I have a copy in my office that you can borrow (but the book is huge, so you may want to scan or photocopy just that chapter). Let me know if you want to borrow it. Because Dazai is so famous, there is probably plenty of material in English if you find that the Japanese-language material is taking too long to read through.

My main advice at this point would be to try to narrow down a particular section or gap in the article that you want to work on. Is there something the Japanese version covers really well that is missing from the English? Is there something the article leaves you wanting to know about Dazai? Are you consistently coming across a similar theme in the sources you read about him, but don't see that theme covered in the Wikipedia article? Narrowing down a specific topic under the umbrella of Dazai will probably help you focus your research and writing a bit more so you don't find yourself updating citations and stylistic details in the article without much structure.

One suggestion along these lines: the "In popular culture" section of the article is quite light. If you can think of or find instances where his work has been adapted or referenced in pop culture, that could be an important (and hopefully fun!) contribution to this article. Ctextor at uofu (talk) 21:24, 26 February 2018 (UTC)

Peer Review
I think this is a good start. You have quite a few sources and they all look reliable. I think using the Japanese source is a great idea as well, and you might be able to dig up some information within it that you won't be able to find elsewhere. "His friends attempt to cheer him up, but their words are fake, so Oba sits in the hospital simply reflecting.", I feel that this line should be included within the article, as a description of the plot, but perhaps change the sentence tonally with "Although his friends attempt to cheer him up, their words are fake, and Oba sits in the hospital simply reflecting on his life." To keep in line with the formatting on the article as a whole, as most sections are only carried under a large break that informs the reader of what's to follow, perhaps within the sections regarding these short stories the titles should be included within the sentences rather than posted above the descriptions and summaries. An example being "This novel focuses on a small family, a mother, a daughter, and a son. They are living in the time after WWII. Their family who was quite wealthy before has become very impoverished and decide to move to the countryside", changed to "The Setting Sun focuses on a small family, a mother, a daughter, and a son living in post-WWII Japan. Their family who was quite wealthy before has become very impoverished and decide to move to the countryside." Perhaps you will be adding this already, but if there are available dates to when these were written/published, that information might be useful. Looking good though! You're definitely on the right track. Nakita Pike (talk) 03:16, 7 April 2018 (UTC)

CT Feedback
I concur with your classmates about various stylistic and formatting concerns. In terms of content, you may want to consider giving dates for the works you chose to briefly summarize, or give some sense of why you chose these specific ones. Are they particularly important to understanding Dazai's career? Ctextor at uofu (talk) 14:40, 10 April 2018 (UTC)