Wikipedia:Today's featured article

Today's featured article The Main Page includes a section where an adapted lead section from one of Wikipedia's featured articles is displayed. The current month's queue can be found here. The articles appearing on the main page are scheduled by Raul654, who was ratified in 2004 as featured article director, or his delegate Dabomb87. You can make new requests or comment on current requests at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests. To appear on the main page, an article must already be a featured article (see Featured article candidates), and must have a lead section suitable for the main page. The format of the Main page blurbs is a single paragraph that is roughly 1200 characters or less in total length, with no reference tags, alternate names, or extraneous bolding. Only the link to the specified featured article is bolded. For biographical articles, birth/death dates are trimmed down to year only. The blurb should be preceded by a lead image when available; fair use images are not allowed. Raul654 maintains a very small, unofficial list of featured articles that he does not intend to have appear on the main page. If you notice a problem with an upcoming main-page featured article, please leave a message on User talk:Dabomb87 or User talk:Raul654. The editnotice template for Today's Featured Article is {{TFA-editnotice}}. It is automatically applied by {{Editnotices/Namespace/Main}} when the article's title matches the contents of {{TFA title}}.

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Today's featured article The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane. Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound—a "red badge of courage"—to counteract his cowardice. When his regiment once again faces the enemy, Henry acts as standard-bearer. Although Crane was born after the war, and had not at the time experienced battle firsthand, the novel is known for its realism. He began writing what would become his second novel in 1893, using various contemporary and written accounts (such as those published previously by Century Magazine) as inspiration. It is believed that he based the fictional battle on that of Chancellorsville; he may also have interviewed veterans of the 124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Orange Blossoms. Initially shortened and serialized in newspapers in December 1894, the novel was published in full in October 1895. Several of the themes that the story explores are maturation, heroism, cowardice, and the indifference of nature. Adapted several times for the screen, the novel became a bestseller. It has never been out of print, and is now thought to be Crane's most important work and a major American text. (more...) Recently featured: Trevor Linden – Big Butte Creek – Hurricane Nate

Tomorrow's featured article Play the "Berceuse" from Dolly The piano music of Gabriel Fauré is among his best known work. Written between the 1860s and the 1920s, Fauré's major sets of piano works are 13 nocturnes, 13 barcarolles, six impromptus and four valses-caprices. These sets display the change in his style, over the decades, from uncomplicated youthful charm to a final enigmatic but sometimes fiery introspection, by way of a turbulent period in his middle years. His other notable piano pieces, including shorter works, or collections composed or published as a set, are Romances sans paroles, Ballade in F♯ major, Mazurka in B♭ major, Thème et variations in C♯ major, and Huit pièces brèves. For piano duet, Fauré composed the Dolly Suite and, together with his friend and former pupil André Messager, an exuberant parody of Wagner in the short suite Souvenirs de Bayreuth. Much of the ambidextrous Fauré's piano music is difficult to play, but it is rarely virtuoso in style. The composer disliked showy display, and the predominant characteristic of his piano music is a classical restraint and understatement. (more...) Recently featured: The Red Badge of Courage – Trevor Linden – Big Butte Creek