[WikiEN-l] {{spoiler}} vs. writing a goddamn encyclopedia

[Andrew Gray]

On 15/05/07, Slim Virgin <slimvirgin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5/14/07, Philip Sandifer <snowspinner at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Although this issue has been done to death (though I tend to think
> > the debate has mostly been a matter of people from outside the
> > relevant fandoms saying "Erm, these are totally unencyclopedic" and
> > then the fandoms shouting a lot and getting their way), I'd like to
> > note that the focus on spoiler warnings and on not revealing spoilers
> > in an article is, in a fundamental sense, totally contrary to the
> > process of writing an encyclopedia.
> >
> Someone once tried to add the spoiler template to [[Night (book)]] --
> which is about the Holocaust. :-|

I've seen it on [[Samuel Pepys]] before, because there was material in
there that might spoil "anything based on this dudes work" (I quote
directly)

I mean, sheesh. Even *if* there are people out there who read diarists
as though they were novels, and then go to read about the diarist in
an encyclopedia, would they really expect to avoid reading about a
ten-year period in the author's life just to avoid anything
interfering with the book?

-- 
- Andrew Gray
  andrew.gray at dunelm.org.uk