Wikipedia:Peer review/Harvey Littleton/archive1

Harvey Littleton

This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review because I plan to nominate it for Featured Article status, and I'd like to address any glaring problems or general improvements before doing so. It's already a GA, so this will probably be either overarching stuff or fine-toothed-comb stuff.

Thanks, Shimeru (talk) 01:26, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Brianboulton comments: This is an interesting article about an interesting man. It needs a little more polishing if it is to reach FA standard; here are some suggestions for consideration:-

• Lead
  • "on the grounds of the Toledo Museum"? "in the grounds" would be more idiomatic
  • Third paragraph: try to avoid repetition of "working" in second sentence
• Education
  • The section covers rather more than Littleton's education – war service, early teaching career, foundation of his first design studio, etc. Perhaps a wider-ranging section title could be found?
  • "In 1949 Littleton accepted a position teaching ceramics..." This surprised me; there is no indication that he had studied ceramics or pottery, unless this was at Cranbrook Academy or during his time at Brighton. Yet I see from the next section that he became a distinguished potter. A spot of clarification, perhaps?
• Research
  • The first sentence contradicts the statement about his 1949 teaching post at Toledo Museum of Art School.
  • What is "cullet"?
• 1962 glass workshop
  • As this is a new topic, it needs a better introduction than; "Assistance came..." etc.
  • The section is confusingly organised. Apart from the date, March 1962, being oddly placed, we have a quote followed immediately by a blockquote. If these are both cited to Byrd, they need to be connected in some way. I believe, however, that they represent too much direct quotation, and that much of this content could be paraphrased.
  • The final sentence (beginning "A second, better advertised Toledo workshop..." is uncited.
• Glass at the University of Wisconsin
  • "...the German Erwin Eisch, who is recognized today as a founder of European studio glass." Needs a citation
  • It is best to avoid defining dates by terms such as "That fall" and "Not long afterwards...", as it's not always obvious to the reader what year we're in.
  • "With the launching of the first college glass department..." When, and where?
  • Year ranges, e.g. 1964–1967 and 1969–1971, use endashes, not hyphens
• "Technique is cheap"
  • There is a lack of citations in this section which gives parts of it a POV-ish feel. Foe example: "The offhand phrase “Technique is cheap” soon took on a life of its own. For some it was a rallying cry to discover the inherent possibilities of a “new” medium for the artist; for others the statement expressed nothing more than arrogant disdain for the timeless value of craftsmanship." No source is indicated for these statements. Likewise, statements such as "Behind this point is another..." seem to reflect an editorial standpoint.
• Work in glass
  • What is a "punty"?
  • What is "slumping"?
  • Awkward phrasing: "Perhaps Littleton’s best known body of work, made between 1983 and 1989 are his “Topological Geometry” works." It's partly the close repetition of work/works, and also the problem that "body of work" is singular, followed by "are" which is plural. Some rephrasing is advised.
• General point: is there a reason for creating the lengthy footnotes 23 and 30, rather than including this material in the main text?

Brianboulton (talk) 22:21, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback. I'm unlikely to have time to work on the article properly before this weekend, but you've given me a nice list of things to look over. Shimeru (talk) 22:23, 7 June 2010 (UTC)