Talk:By His Bootstraps

Novels: Short story / Sci-fi Stub‑class Mid‑importance

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Books Stub‑class

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WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 13:32, 9 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:By His Bootstraps ASF Oct 1941.jpg

Image:By His Bootstraps ASF Oct 1941.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 04:57, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Literary references?

I wonder whether we could add a section about literary reference. What is the Wikipedia standard?

In this case, I'm thinking of the strong allusions to Lovecraft's universe found in this (amazing) short story.

Reality3chick (talk) 21:28, 13 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They need to be cited by some WP:Reliable source, not something you notice yourself (WP:No original research). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:03, 18 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Spoiler warning

I really disagree with removing my spoiler warning. I don't know yet if there are Wiki rules about this, but encyclopedias DON'T have to include whole stories in order to do their job; this is not Reader's Digest, this is _about_ a work. I'd get angry if I came across an article like this, just wanting to learn about an author's work and be given spoilers. If there is no further discussion on this, I plan to put the warning back; meanwhile I'll research this policy further.

Reality3chick (talk) 23:35, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See WP:Spoiler, which states "Wikipedia no longer carries spoiler warnings, except for the content disclaimer and section headings (such as "Plot" or "Ending") which imply the presence of spoilers." The once teeming herds of spoilers were driven to extinction by packs of bloodthirsty predators (homo editoris). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:01, 18 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the reply, I still find this to be in bad taste but my only alternative would be to become a "homo editoris" as well and start adding "Plot + Ending" in every rampant article...

The reason I find it in bad taste is ironically stated in WP:Spoiler itself: "However, when including spoilers, editors should make sure that an encyclopedic purpose is being served".

Imho usually it's done just out of a desire to share...

Reality3chick (talk) 12:28, 18 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have a yellowing hardcover anthology from 1957 called Famous Science-Fiction Stories which includes this tale. Each story in the book has a 1-paragraph preface by the editor. The preface reads:

This is literally a "whodunit." There are four or five characters in this story (or puzzle) and most of them are the same man! The question is who is who - and when. Or, when is a man not himself - yesterday, today or tomorrow? It may sound like a joke, but we assure you it isn't. It is a perfect illustration of the paradox of time travel. If the story's problem can be solved, then (perhaps) so can time travel.

So, even 50 years ago, this story was published with a spoiler! Rlw (Talk) 18:01, 10 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there more than one version?

There's a paragraph on the "High Ones" that I remember differently than the pdf I just saw on the web. --Rich Peterson75.45.106.99 (talk) 05:34, 10 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Paradoxes

The importance of this story in the Heinlein universe is in how the paradoxes are resolved, or not. Heinlein maintained that there were no paradoxes in time travel and he attempts to show that, but he cannot deal with the dictionary (the "notebook") that Bob finds. Bob copies the notebook and leaves it behind for "Bob" to find, but where did the original one come from? Later stories by Heinlein seem to avoid this issue... In any event, this article, having mentioned paradoxes in the lead (no, I won't call it a "lede") should deal with the subject. 72.179.63.75 (talk) 04:29, 8 May 2012 (UTC) Eric[reply]