Talk:Melian (Middle-earth)/GA1

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Reviewer: TompaDompa (talk · contribs) 19:06, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

I will review this. As an initial observation, I think the title is rather odd. This is not a real-world concept or thing appearing in a work of fiction (like for instance Plants in Middle-earth), this is a fictional character. A title using the same construction as e.g. Balin (Middle-earth) would make a lot more sense to me. Melian (Tolkien character) might make the most sense, but I don't know if there are any other titles along those lines. TompaDompa (talk) 19:06, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes. Let's move it to "Melian (Middle-earth)" as soon as this is finished. There aren't any "(Tolkien character)" titles. Chiswick Chap (talk) 19:39, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

General comments

• I have added some links and removed some duplicates.

• Thank you.

• I have tweaked a bunch of references, adding links and fixing errors.

• Noted, and thanks.

Lead

• I don't know if the body of the article really justifies describing Melian as a "pivotal" character in the First Age. "Important", perhaps.

• Fixed.

Fictional biography

• I'm guessing that parts like It is said that she arrives in Middle-earth to teach its birds to sing that do not appear in the cited source(s) is implicitly sourced to Tolkien's writings?

• Yes; added explicit ref.

• "child of Ilúvatar" is fairly esoteric, basically Tolkien jargon.

• Replaced.

Creation and conception

Analysis

• Might be worth including Fontenot's description of Melian as "the Orpheus of Arda", if you can find an appropriate spot for it.

• Added.

• Might be worth including Fontenot's comparison to Cassandra.

• Added that too.

• Melian is a Homeric female archetype. – I think this is going too far. Fenwick draws a fair amount of parallels between Galadriel and the women in Homer, but barely discusses Melian at all—except in relation to Galadriel.

• Yes. Toned down.

• In an entry for the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia titled "Music in Middle Earth", Bradford Lee Eden remarked that Melian's daughter Lúthien is named Tinúviel or "Nightingale" by Beren, even though that bird, the nightingale, is connected with Melian's backstory – I don't find this in the cited source?

• Removed.

Genealogy

• It seems a bit odd to me to not indicate the (rough) number of generations on Aragorn's side of the family tree.

• Ok, we'll use the full Half-elven template then. She's about his 65th-great-grandmother.

Summary

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it well written?

   A. The prose is clear and concise, and the spelling and grammar are correct:

   See my comments above.

   B. It complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation:

2. Is it verifiable with no original research, as shown by a source spot-check?

   A. It contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline:

   B. Reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose):

   All sources are, as far as I can tell, reliable for the material they are cited for.

   C. It contains no original research:

   See my comments above.

   D. It contains no copyright violations nor plagiarism:

   Earwig reveals no copyvio, and I didn't spot any instances of unacceptably WP:Close paraphrasing.

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. It addresses the main aspects of the topic:

   B. It stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style):

4. Is it neutral?

   It represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each:

   No obvious neutrality issues.

5. Is it stable?

   It does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute:

6. Is it illustrated, if possible, by images?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   B. Images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

Ping Chiswick Chap. TompaDompa (talk) 13:42, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

TompaDompa: many thanks for the suggestions. All done to date. Chiswick Chap (talk) 15:58, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Great job! TompaDompa (talk) 17:15, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.