Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/Ursula K. Le Guin/archive1

TFA blurb review[edit]

Ursula K. Le Guin (October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction. She wrote more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. She achieved critical and commercial success with A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) and The Left Hand of Darkness (1969). Le Guin was influenced by cultural anthropology, Taoism, feminism, and the writings of Carl Jung. Many of her stories used anthropologists or cultural observers as protagonists; several works reflect Taoist ideas about balance and equilibrium. Le Guin often subverted typical speculative fiction tropes, such as through her use of dark-skinned protagonists in the Earthsea fantasy series. She won eight Hugo Awards, six Nebulas, and twenty-two Locus Awards, and in 2003 became only the second woman honored as a Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. (Full article...)

Just a suggested blurb (a little early) ... thoughts and edits are welcome. - Dank (push to talk) 22:31, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'll look closely for anything I may want to tweak later, but at first glance it's just fine. Vanamonde (Talk) 01:49, 6 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Dank: I wonder if File:Ursula Le Guin.jpg is better suited to the main page, as it's focused on her face a little more; at a small size, it might be clearer. Just a thought, no strong feelings. Vanamonde (Talk) 16:43, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Jim, David Levy? No strong preference. - Dank (push to talk) 17:02, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Vanamonde Unless David Levy differs, happy to go with your preference Jimfbleak - talk to me? 18:03, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Vanamonde, Dan, and Jim: I agree that a tighter shot is more suitable, but I recommend using File:Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, 2004 (cropped).jpg, the composition of which I just improved. —David Levy 18:18, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@David Levy: Thanks for taking the time to crop it; however, the cropped version strikes me as a little blurry, even at smaller resolution, but definitely if someone clicks on it. Vanamonde (Talk) 18:20, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm easy. - Dank (push to talk) 18:40, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Vanamonde: I've enhanced the photograph (including its sharpness). You might need to bypass your cache to see the new versions. —David Levy 21:54, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I leave it up to the coords; the new one to me looks strange, as though a photographer caught an odd expression; at the same time, it is better lit that the one I'm suggesting, though perhaps David Levy has a more serious objection that I haven't seen. Vanamonde (Talk) 21:57, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In File:Ursula Le Guin.jpg, she's looking down at a book. From this angle, her eyes cannot be seen. The eyes are a primary focal point, so their visibility goes a long way toward making a low-resolution image of a person appear more lifelike and attention-grabbing. —David Levy 22:20, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fair point. Vanamonde (Talk) 22:30, 19 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]