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=== The problem with "in-universe" perspective === |
=== The problem with "in-universe" perspective === |
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The so-called "in-universe" perspective is the opposite to a consistent use of the real world perspective. Using this as the principal perspective must be avoided, because it would mean treating the fiction as if it were real, and describing it from the perspective of the people and characters from ''within'' the [[fictional universe]]. Many |
The so-called "in-universe" perspective is the opposite to a consistent use of the real world perspective. Using this as the principal perspective must be avoided, because it would mean treating the fiction as if it were real, and describing it from the perspective of the people and characters from ''within'' the [[fictional universe]]. Many non-Wikimedia wikis and independent fan-maintained websites take this approach as their principal perspective, but it is not considered encyclopedic, partly because it makes exclusive or near-exclusive use of [[#Primary information|primary information]]. |
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Examples of "in-universe" perspective include: |
Examples of "in-universe" perspective include: |
Revision as of 13:45, 15 July 2007
Wikipedia contains numerous articles on fictional worlds and elements from them. Like with all Wikipedia articles, a fictional topic's notability has to be established by and including reliable secondary sources. Once this is done, the approach to writing about these subjects is the most important consideration to make. Articles dealing with fictional subjects, characters, objects, events, or locations should discuss their authorship and their significance outside the narrative. This guideline page describes some approaches to writing a proper article on fiction.
Manual of Style (MoS) |
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Real world perspective
Articles about fiction should be written with the real world as their primary frame of reference. The approach is to describe the subject matter from the perspective of the real world, in which of course the work of fiction and its publication are embedded. It necessitates the use of both primary and secondary information.
Examplary aspects of real world perspective include:
- careful differentiation between the work of fiction itself and aspects of its production process and publication, such as the impact a work of fiction has had in the real world (see also below)
- the presentation of fictional material
- particularly for film and TV related topics, this may include cinematographical aspects
- for literature, this may include writing style and literary technique
- description of fictional characters, places and devices as objects of the narrative
- making (referenced!) mention of the author's intention
See below for a list of exemplary articles which employ a consistent real world perspective.
The problem with "in-universe" perspective
The so-called "in-universe" perspective is the opposite to a consistent use of the real world perspective. Using this as the principal perspective must be avoided, because it would mean treating the fiction as if it were real, and describing it from the perspective of the people and characters from within the fictional universe. Many non-Wikimedia wikis and independent fan-maintained websites take this approach as their principal perspective, but it is not considered encyclopedic, partly because it makes exclusive or near-exclusive use of primary information.
Examples of "in-universe" perspective include:
- disregarding all or most aspects of the work of fiction as such
- a plot synopsis written up like an historical account
- a summary of a character's appearances written up like a biography
- description of fictional devices or places as if they were real
- using infoboxes for in-universe information
Primary and secondary information
Where the above section discusses the principal perspective from which an article is written and makes the distinction between real world perspective versus "in-universe" perspective, this section discusses the incorporation of information. Please see also the related policy on the use of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.
Primary information
The term primary information describes all information taken from primary sources, i.e. the orginal work of fiction or an affiliated work of fiction (e.g. another episode of the same series). Even with strict adherence to the real world perspective, writing about fiction always includes using the original fiction itself as a source. See also below.
Examples of information taken directly from the original fiction include:
- the birth and death dates of fictional characters
- performance statistics or characteristics for fictional vehicles or devices
- history of fictional locations or organizations
- background information on fictional creatures
- and, of course, the plot itself
Secondary information
The term secondary information describes information taken from secondary sources. Please note that publications affiliated with a particular work of fiction (e.g. fan magazines), are mostly not considered suitable secondary sources.
The rule of thumb is to use as much secondary information as necessary and useful to give the article a real world perspective, not more and not less. Another rule of thumb is that if the topic is notable, secondary information should be available and possibly already in the article.
Examples of useful information typically provided only by secondary sources:
- the author or creator
- the design
- the development, both before its first appearance and over the course of the narrative
- real-world factors that have influenced the work or fictional element
- for fictional characters in dramatic productions, the actor who portrayed the role and his or her approach to playing that character
- its popularity among the general public
- its sales figures (for commercial offerings)
- its reception by critics
- a critical analysis of the subject
- the influence of the work on later creators and their projects
Contextual presentation
As with the frame of reference, there are two generally possible approaches to be considered: The context of the production and the context of the original fiction: Whenever the original fiction itself, and not e.g. a making-of, is the subject of the article, all out-of-universe information needs to be set in the context of the original fiction.
Details of creation, development, etc. relating to a particular fictional element are more helpful if the reader understands the role of that element in the story. This often involves using the fiction to give plot summaries, character descriptions or biographies, or direct quotations. By convention, these synopses should be written in the present tense, as this is the way that the story is experienced as it is read or viewed. At any particular point in the story there is a 'past' and a 'future', but whether something is 'past' or 'future' changes as the story progresses. It is simplest to recount the entire description as continuous 'present'.
Using fictional material from the original work is fine, provided passages are short, are given the proper context, and do not constitute the main portion of the article. If such passages stray into the realm of interpretation, secondary sources must be provided to avoid original research.
Plot summaries
Plot summaries can be written from the real world perspective by referring to specific works or parts of works ("In the first book", "In Act II") or describing things from the author or creator's perspective ("The author introduces", "The story describes"). This gives the summary a more grounded tone and makes it more accessible to those unfamiliar with the source material. This style of writing should be preferred for plot summaries that encompass multiple works, such as a series of novels. Such conventions are not as important for plot summaries of single works, such as novels that are not part of a series; nevertheless, some real-world language at the beginning of such summaries is often good style.
Notability and undue weight
There are usually specific reasons why fictional subjects deserve their own articles. However, it is important that articles give proper weight to important aspects of the subject and do not place undue emphasis on minor points. For example, an article about a character from a particular film might begin with details of the character's earlier appearances drawn from a different work. With such an approach, only later can the article describe the character's actual contribution to the famous film for which he or she is known. In other words, possibly irrelevant information is being given equal weight to more notable material.
Fair use
As the Wikipedia servers are located in the U.S. state of Florida, Wikipedia articles must conform to U.S. copyright laws. It has been held in a number of court cases that any work which re-tells original ideas from a fictional source, in sufficient quantity without adding information about that work, or in some way analysing and explaining it, may be construed as a Derivative work or a copyright violation. This may apply irrespective of the way information is presented, in or out of universe, or in some entirely different form such as a quizbook or 'encyclopedia galactica'.
Information about copyright fictional worlds and plots of works of fiction can be provided only under a claim of fair use, and Wikipedia's fair-use policy holds that "the amount of copyrighted work used should be as little as possible." Many of the fictional subjects of Wikipedia articles are protected by copyright. Of course, some works are sufficiently old that their copyright has expired, or the rights may have been released into the public domain.
Conclusions
When writing about fiction, keep the following in mind:
- The principal frame of reference is always the real world, in which both the work of fiction and its publication are embedded: write from a real world perspective;
- Both primary and secondary information are necessary for a real world perspective: maintain a balanced use of both primary and secondary sources;
- Personal observation and interpretation of the article's subject are not acceptable on Wikipedia: avoid original research;
- All included information needs to be attributable to reliable sources, and all sources (including the primary sources) need to be appropriately cited in the article: reference all information and cite your sources;
- Readability and comprehensibility: put all information in the context of the original fiction;
- Wikipedia's fair-use policy: the amount of copyrighted work used should be as little as possible.
List of exemplary articles
The following is a partial list of articles about fiction or elements from fiction that follow the real world perspective. These are good examples to follow for editors seeking to cover fictional subjects on Wikipedia. For other good examples, see the lists of articles that have been rated at Good and Featured status.
- Note: Keep in mind that the content in these articles may have changed since the time of their original listing here.
- Characters
- Captain Marvel (DC Comics) (comic book character)
- Felix the Cat (classic cartoon character)
- Palpatine, Padmé Amidala, and Jabba the Hutt (Star Wars characters)
- Pauline Fowler (Eastenders character)
- Link (The Legend of Zelda series) (video game character)
- Complete works (films, television series, novels etc.)
- The Adventures of Tintin (comic book series)
- Arrested Development (television series)
- Doctor Who (television series)
- Krazy Kat (comic strip)
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy (science fiction novels)
- The Lord of the Rings (fantasy novel)
- Red vs. Blue (machinima science fiction parody serial)
- Tenebrae (film) (horror film)
- Miscellaneous
- Spoo (fictional food)
- Three Laws of Robotics (fictional ethics)
- World of Final Fantasy VIII (fictional world)
In-universe template
If you notice an article that predominantly describes a fictional topic from an in-universe perspective, or even provides no indication that a fictional subject is fictional, either improve it yourself or add the {{In-universe}} template to bring the issue to the attention of others. Be sure to leave a note on the article's talk page explaining your objections. This template looks like this:
Alternative outlets for fictional universe articles
Some other Wikipedia-like projects prefer in-universe perspective. These are a good alternative for editors interested in such topics. The following is a partial list:
- 24 Wikia — Describes the universe of the 24 television show.
- Alphanex - A wiki concerning the Marvel Comics team Alpha Flight
- Battlestar Wiki — A Battlestar Galactica-related encyclopedia.
- Bulbapedia — Describes the Pokémon universe.
- Comixpedia's Webcomic Encyclopedia — A wiki about webcomics.
- DC Database — An unofficial DC Comics wiki.
- Dragon Ball - A wiki about the Dragon Ball multiverse.
- Encyclopedia Gamia — A wiki about computer and video games, board, card and pen and paper games.
- Eragon - Eragon
- GameWikis — Community fansite/wiki for several computer games such as: Guild Wars and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Warhammer Online.
- Lostpedia — A wiki dedicated to the Lost universe.
- Marvel Database — An unofficial Marvel Comics wiki.
- Marvel Universe — The official Marvel Comics wiki.
- Memory Alpha — Describes the Star Trek universe.
- SimpsonsWiki — A Simpsons-related wiki.
- Tenchi in Tokyo — A wiki dedicated to the Tenchi anime series.
- Tolkien Gateway — A wiki dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien and his works.
- The TV IV — A user-edited compedium of television knowledge.
- The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages — A wiki dedicated to The Elder Scrolls series.
- Wookieepedia — Describes the Star Wars universe.
- WoWWiki — A wiki for the World of Warcraft videogame.
- RuneScape Wiki A wiki devoted to the MMORPG RuneScape.
Infoboxes and succession boxes
Infoboxes, usually placed in the upper-right portion of an article, give key data about the article's subject in tabular format. For entities within fiction, useful infobox data might include the creators or actors, first appearance, an image, and in-universe information essential to understanding the entity's context in the overall fiction. What qualifies as essential varies based on the nature of the work. Where facts change at different points in a story or series, there may be no appropriate in-universe information at all to add. By contrast, an infobox on a character in a fantasy work with multiple warring factions may warrant data such as allegiance.
As with all infoboxes, trivial details should be avoided. An infobox for a real-life actor would not contain items such as favorite food and hobbies; these details do not aid the reader in understanding the important characteristics of the subject. In the same way, infoboxes about fictional entities should avoid delving into minutiae, such as information only mentioned in supplementary backstory. For this reason, infoboxes meant for real-world entities should not be applied to their fictional counterparts, since, for example, information important to a description of a real-world company may be tangential to a fictional one. It is important to identify the revenue of Microsoft, whereas the fact that fictional MegaAcmeCorp makes 300 billion GalactiBucks in the year 2463 is probably unimportant.
Another common type of template, succession boxes, should not be used to describe in-universe relationships in articles about fictional entities. Succession boxes assume continuity, which may not exist. Furthermore, they may invite the creation of non notable articles that fall under the fictional succession. For articles about works of fiction themselves; the story that each work of fiction depicts does not change despite the continuation of stories across serial works or sequels, and as a consequence, the events within one work of fiction are always in the present whenever it is read, watched, or listened to. In-universe temporal designations such as "current" or "previous" are therefore inappropriate. For character articles (which cannot be bound temporally), it may be acceptable to use customized templates to summarize information from the perspective of the real world, such as connections between articles describing the same fictional world. Such templates should not invite the creation of articles about non-notable subjects.
See also
- Wikipedia:Notability (fiction)
- Wikipedia:Fancruft
- Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles#Check your fiction
- Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information (#7, Plot summaries)
- Wikipedia:Naming conventions: TV | Books | Films
Related WikiProjects
These are some of the more important WikiProjects that deal with fiction material. They may have additional suggestions, article templates and styles that you might wish to make yourself familiar with.