Wikipedia:Peer review/Victor Davis Hanson/archive1

Victor Davis Hanson edit

VDH is one of America's premier public intellectuals and has played an important role in explaining neo-conservative idea's to the public. He has had several meetings with high level officials in the US Government, as well as appointments to various academic think tanks. He's written several books some of which are featured in the Amazon.com top 1000.

Overall I'd like to see this article reach FAC status and so it would be nice to have some fresh people take a look at it. Klonimus 02:40, 2 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

OK - here we go (Not reviewing content)!

  1. Intro WAAAAY too short - you need a SOLID paragraph there.
  2. First section too short
  3. "carnage & culture" some paragraphs are a LITTLE short, but maybe nothing that would get you a FA oppose...
  4. "Stances" - consider a rename. Also, consider killing the subsections and making a REAL section out of this puppy - there's not all that much content to warrant 4 seperate subsections without expansion
  5. "Works" - consider detailing some of his best works here, along with an intro to that list there
  6. "External links" - don't use real subsections here - it stuffs the TOC, use double lists instead

Take care! Ryan Norton T | @ | C 04:05, 2 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

A few remarks:

  1. Yes, I'd like to see it a little longer for that really encyclopedic FA feel...
  2. Needs a copyright-free picture
  3. Judging from the talk page, some of Hanson's views are rather more controversial than one might gather from the article. Could we hear more about these, and perhaps some good sourced opposing viewpoints - maybe follow up those external links.
  4. I'd like to see more about VDH's work as a classical scholar - is it generally regarded as good, and by whom? If not, what's wrong with it?

Keithlard 04:29, 2 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]


You could have a look at the Brynmawr Classical Review (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/by_authorH.html) which has reviews of 5 or 6 of his classics books including some blood-on-the-walls exchanges. I read it years back, but there's something in there about him as a farmer which seemed a little scary.

I wonder about the stances section of the entry. Hanson (maybe not call him Dr. in the text, especially just doing it once) is a controversial figure who makes a number of people very angry. Maybe there needs to be room for their response to him (e.g. the classicists are to blame bit). Good luck.... Flounderer 14:16, 5 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]