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I'm not sure where this should be added but immediately prior to the UK Parliment summer recess an MP asked the Prime Minister about the Minister of Magic
"Q8. [13349] Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen, South) (Lab): Now that the summer recess is almost upon us, will my right hon. Friend have time to do what millions of people did this weekend and read the new Harry Potter novel by Scotland's most successful writer? What would he say to people who have been critical of those books, especially as they have done more to improve literacy and children's enjoyment of reading than even this Government's excellent education policies and everything that I did in 19 years as an English teacher?
The Prime Minister: The Harry Potter brief in my file is somewhat thin, which only shows that my officials' sense of importance is not what it should be. I was told by someone, however, that in the first chapter of the new book the Minister of Magic comes out of a picture to confront the Prime Minister. I am still searching for the Minister."
Hello! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing some trimming to address the "intricate details" tag on the page. If you find any issues with my editing, please don't hesitate to revert edits or reach out to me to discuss. Thanks! Wafflewombat (talk) 04:53, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious, why did you remove the "intricate detail" tag at the top of the page? It was there before I started editing. Wafflewombat (talk) 17:51, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It has been there for half a decade, and there is no explanation on the talk page of what changes should be made. Drive-by-tagging at its best. Dimadick (talk) 18:11, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It would be helpful for me if you could explain why you feel the content I removed was important or notable. Although I removed a lot of content, I carefully considered every sentence I removed. These are the problems I found:
Excessive detail about the Ministry and characters that (in my view) belongs on a fansite, and is not appropriate for a general audience
"not appropriate for a general audience" Your view of a general audience is someone only interested in reading stubs and silly comments by film critics? You did not search for sources supporting or negating the content you removed. You are also removing the physical descriptions of the characters, which could probably be sourced to primary sources. Dimadick (talk) 19:30, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hi everyone. After feedback from another editor, it is clear that I need to offer more of an explanation for the editing I've been doing. When I started editing, there was a tag on the page claiming that it "may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience." I would like to offer some examples of this excessive and intricate detail and then hear your thoughts on whether it should be reduced.
The Department of Mysteries section contains a large table describing rooms in the department. What is notable about these rooms? There is no connection to the real world and no demonstration of notability.
There are long plot summaries in character descriptions. Please see Percy Weasley, Cornelius Fudge, John Dawlish, and Barty Crouch Sr. Character descriptions don't need to include everything the characater has done. Plot summaries belong on the pages for books and movies.
There are many minor details which, when added together, take up a lot of space in the article. Some examples include:
"...about fifty people are present at Harry Potter's hearing, wearing plum-coloured robes embroidered with a silver "W" on the left-hand side of the chest. During the hearing, the Minister for Magic sits in the middle of the front row and conducts most of the interrogation..."
"[Ludo Bagman's] good looks have gone a bit to seed; his nose is squashed in (apparently having been broken by a stray Bludger) and he is quite a bit thicker around the middle than he was in his Quidditch days."
"the Auror Office takes in new recruits with a minimum of 5 N.E.W.T.s"
There is also unsourced interpretation and analysis. Some examples:
"Scrimgeour, however tough he looked, was no better than Fudge."
"...it is a running joke of the books that in any appearance or mention of him, he is eventually hexed..."
"Crouch was a narrow, inflexible man who stiffly followed the rules."
"...the lengths to which he was willing to go to disassociate with anything that might blemish his reputation led him to behave almost as cruelly as many on the Dark Side..."
"It is not known how or when the Trace is placed upon a child, though it may be assumed that it begins either when the child begins to show magical talent..."
"The Ministry also seems to turn a blind eye..."
According to MOS:REALWORLD, "Real-world perspective is not an optional criterion for quality, but rather a basic requirement for all articles." Most of the content on this page is not connected to the real world.
According to MOS:INUNIVERSE, "Presenting backstories of fictional elements as real-world historical accounts" qualifies as an inappropriate use of an in-universes style. The section continues: "For example, an in-universe perspective would describe the history of Starfleet from the Star Trek franchise in a manner similar to that of the US Air Force, giving extensive detail to topics such as creation, fleet composition, battles, and key events. Instead, descriptions of Starfleet should cover only the most essential details and mention the specific works (TV episodes, films, books, etc.) in which these details were included. This page describes many facets of the fictional Ministry of Magic in this way. Wafflewombat (talk) 20:25, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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