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

[Bryan Derksen]

Todd Allen wrote:
> Why would anyone go to an encyclopedia, which covers literary works
> in-depth and as a whole, and not expect to have it "spoiled"? If I went
> to an encyclopedia and found that only part of a work had been covered
> in the interest of avoiding "spoilers", I'd be pissed off!

I've actually come across articles like this and I totally concur. I
don't have any names handy since I don't keep track of such things, but
I recall on several occasions coming across articles for books whose
plot summaries ended halfway through with what was effectively "tune in
next week for the exciting twist ending!"

I _hate_ that. Since I usually can't fix such problems myself I mark
such articles with cleanup tags indicating that they're flagrantly
incomplete. It is not Wikipedia's job to whet people's appetites for
information about a work of fiction, it's Wikipedia's job to _satisfy_
people's appetites for information.

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