Talk:Wife to James Whelan

Hi Cassandra! Here is my peer review of the work you have done so far.

Content: Great start on the character list. The information you have given about each one seems relevant and straight to the point without being overly detailed, which is good in the context of a general introduction to the play's characters. If I might suggest one minor improvement, it would be to place James Whelan's character description higher up on the list, ahead of Bill, Nan and Tom's, as you refer to Whelan in their biographies before actually introducing him. The brief descriptions you provided for each of the play's three acts might also benefit from a little bit of fleshing out, to make them seem less like stage directions and more like short, concise summaries. Overall though, this is a great start!

Tone: The tone you use throughout the article is very balanced and neutral so far. One thing which struck me was the use of a quotation describing some of Nan's qualities: "bright hair, clear face, carefree bearing." Is this taken directly from the play? If so, is it absolutely necessary to the character's introduction? I ask because I noticed that none of the other character descriptions contained any direct quotations. I don't necessarily think this takes away from the article's neutral tone, I'm just not sure if the inclusion of direct quotes in this context is a common practice on Wikipedia. But again, this is a minor detail and the tone used seems generally appropriate.

Sources: The sources you have listed look interesting and seem to provide some good background information on playwright Teresa Deevy's life and previous works. The Caoilfhionn Ni Bheachain article seems to offer an interesting social and political analysis of some of Deevy's other plays, which could definitely be interesting to include alongside some analyses of "Wife to James Whelan." I would suggest you try to find a few sources that relate more directly to "Wife to James Whelan," as the page focuses on the play rather than on Deevy herself.

Overall, I think you've started laying down a strong foundation for your article! Keep up the good work. :)

Sarahbiss96 (talk) 01:21, 17 October 2018 (UTC)

Hi @Cbelliveau: To support @Sarahbiss96:'s really excellent and thorough comments, I'd just like to say that there's a strong foundation here, and I look forward to seeing what you produce when you start drafting! EmerOToole (talk) 18:41, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Hi @Cbelliveau:

This is looking really good. You're nearly there. So well done! The intro contains too much interpretation. It needs to be stripped back to the bare facts. Any interpretation needs references.

A little less info is needed in the character list - less plot, basically.

The plot summary is looking really good! Well done

I thought you might add a brief section on the Abbey refusal, referencing Ernest Blythe, Deevy's letter about her disappointment, and perhaps Morash and others' reading that the refusal of this play marks a conservative ideological shift at The Abbey.

When this is done - tag me. You will be nearly good to go! EmerOToole (talk) 18:35, 8 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi Cassa, In you intro I would suggest switching two clauses so that the Teresa Deevy part about rejection serves as a topic sentence. Instead of, "is a play written in 1937 by Irish playwright Theresa Deevy. After having six consecutive plays produced and performed at the Abbey Theatre, this was Deevy's first work since production to be rejected." I would say ...is a play written in 1937 by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy. This was Deevy's first work to be rejected after having six consecutive plays produced and performed at the Abbey Theater. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Apaigeinabook (talk • contribs) 21:31, 28 November 2018 (UTC)

I know your intentions are to clean up the writing in the interest of ease of interaction on this platform (changing the order of hyperlinks, for example) and pare down the character description to include less synopsis. I know you also intend to add a section the refusal surrounding Deevy's plays and how it pertains to The Wife of James Whelan. If you continue on this path, you will thrive! I believe in u, hope you don't feel roasted xoxo gossip girl Apaigeinabook (talk) 21:43, 28 November 2018 (UTC)apaigeinabook

(talk) 06:28, 3 December 2018 (UTC) EmerOToole it is finally finished. should I upload to wikipedia?

Hi Cassandra. This is looking really great, particularly the section on the play's rejection from The Abbey. Can I suggest two tiny tweaks - then you can go ahead and move it.

1) I'm not sure about this sentence in the Intro: "The play follows protagonist James Whelan through his journey to success, and as he indecisively chooses a wife." I wonder if you might replace it with something that indicates that the main plot is the relationship between James Whelan and Nan Bowers?

2) "He is caught in love triangle with Nan, Kate, and Nora." First - this would be a square, not a triangle! And second, I don't think it's true that he's caught in a love shape with these women. I might just cut the line.

3) In the rejection section "Minster or Finance" should be "Minister of Finance."

When you've addressed this little points, please do go ahead and move it. It's looking great and I can't wait to see it on the site. Well done, Cassandra. EmerOToole (talk) 18:22, 5 December 2018 (UTC)