Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Stamata Revithi

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The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by SandyGeorgia 22:19, 11 April 2009 [1].

Stamata Revithi[edit]

Nominator(s): Yannismarou (talk) 22:21, 25 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Some decades ago Revithi was almost unknown. During the resurgence of feminism and the revitalization of women's role in modern society, she was treated as a symbol. A poor woman from Syros, who never imagined that she would become the main topic of a Wikipedia's article some 100+ years later! With very few existing sources, it was a temptation for me to create a nice and attractive article for "Melpomene" (if she is indeed the runner "Melpomene"!). The article went through a peer-review, where I tried to properly handle all the raised concerns. Additionally, User:H1nkles provided me with some excellent feedback in the article's talk page. I'm grateful for this review as well as for checking the prose. Many thanks to User:Ceoil (as usually!) and User:Karanacs, who also checked the prose. Personally, I did the best I could, taking always into consideration the scarcity of relevant sources. I thought it was the right time for this nomination.Yannismarou (talk) 22:21, 25 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Comments - Looks like a very nice article, and I want to support eventually. Before I do so, however, I want you to look at these items:

  • Before the 1896 Olympics: "Contemporary sources do not mention her having a husband, so likely she was widowed." Move "likely" to after "was", perhaps?
  • "and based on a Michel Breal's idea of a race...". First "a" seems like a grammar error.
  • Don't think the word international needs a link.
  • 1896 marathon: "the organizers promised that she would compete with a team of American women in another race in Athens, which however never took place." Remove however.
  • Someone needs to check the photo of the end of the marathon, as there's no indication that the reason for PD status is valid.
  • I have checked it, and the PD status seemed to me valid. I can add a link of the 1896 Official report, where the picture was published.--Yannismarou (talk) 00:14, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Melpomene: Before the quote in the first sentence, add "there was" to improve flow.
  • Remove the Olympic Games link here; interested readers will probably have clicked on the first one. Giants2008 (17-14) 23:40, 26 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Giants, all done, except verifying the pd; though the picture is 112 3/4 years old. Ceoil (talk) 00:08, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Are you sure about the 3/4 stuff? Did you go through a date counter or something like that (we should have one in the project, since we have already promoted and developed to near perfection the edit counters!)?!--Yannismarou (talk) 00:28, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I know people and machines you can only imagine. Ceoil (talk) 00:39, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That is what I mean. We have the source of the picture (the 1896 report). Taking into consideration the fact of how old this picture is (113 years), it seems improbable to me to have any copyright issue here. But I can remove it or try to replace it, if it is deemed necessary. By the way, thanks again Ceoil.--Yannismarou (talk) 00:17, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Was the report actually released in 1896? If so, it's just fine. Sorry about that. Giants2008 (17-14) 02:35, 28 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Phew! Ceoil (talk) 08:04, 28 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comments - sources look okay, links checked out with the link checker tool. Ealdgyth - Talk 00:01, 27 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Image review - File:Stade1896.jpg - Could you please indicate the page number where this image is located? Also, note that this book seems to have authors listed and perhaps an illustrator. All of the information from the title page should be listed in the "Source" field so that it is easier to sort out the licensing (which I'm still working on). Awadewit (talk) 18:52, 28 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Γιούπι! I found it! It is page 77 of the second part of the Review.--Yannismarou (talk) 19:55, 28 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I also found the name of the photographer in the book. I would feel better if this image were hosted on Wikipedia, since we cannot establish the death date for this person and thus that he has been dead for 70 years (on Commons, the image has to be PD in the US and in its country of origin). Would you mind moving it over to Wikipedia or trying to find a death date? Awadewit (talk) 00:58, 30 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I don't mind all. By the way, since you are one of the best Wikipedia's reviewers (Do you remember the good old days we were both reviewing in WP:BIOGRAPHY?!), could we also have your input and reviews on the article in general! Thank you, by the way, for your copy-editing!--Yannismarou (talk) 12:56, 30 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I do remember those good old days - so much less wikistress than my life these days! Awadewit (talk) 01:09, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Support - My one real gripe with this article is that there is minimal information on her life outside this one event. We don't even have a death date, not to mention the lack of a solid birthdate. However, I'm convinced that the nominator has done everything possible to find this information, which unfortunately doesn't seem to exist. I've come out against short articles in the past, but I think this one just scrapes past the requirements. Everything else looks good, and I even did a little copy-editing (there wasn't much to do after Awadewit finished her run-through, but every little bit helps). Giants2008 (17-14) 00:36, 30 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Thank you also Giants for the copy-edits. Having you, Awadewit, Ceoil, Karanacs (some of the top copyeditors Wikipedia ever had!) going through the article's prose is really a great chance.--Yannismarou (talk) 12:56, 30 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • As far as the minimal information thing you mention, let me just say that you are, of course, correct. Nevertheless, I may be the worse copy-editor and prose writer in the world (and I really am! This is no joke at all!), but, if there is one thing I am really scrupulous, this is source-digging. As I state in my nomination declaration, whatever information could be found about Revithi, it is here!--Yannismarou (talk) 13:00, 30 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Support as a peer reviewer. Two small questions:

  • Is there any background to this comment "since male Greek athletes had already been humiliated by the Americans" that we should be aware of? I'm not that familiar with the 1896 Olympics and so wasn't sure if there was a particular event she was referring to.
  • I give an explanation in Note 11. She refers to the fact that Americans had dominated athletic events during the previous days, despite the high Greek expectations.--Yannismarou (talk) 20:00, 31 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Sorry, I assumed that was just a reference and didn't check to see if there was a note there too. Karanacs (talk) 20:07, 31 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Is there information on how long it took the male winner to run the race (or slowest male runner)? That would make a good footnote to put her achievement in perspective.

Karanacs (talk) 17:02, 31 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Information here about the last runner not very helpful. The first one, Loues, run the race in about 3 hours. Comparing, Revithi's timing does not look that good! Of course, many male athletes withdrew, while she almost finished (she was stopped before entering the Stadium) her unofficial race. Do you think that I should add somewhere Loues' time?--Yannismarou (talk) 07:45, 1 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Perhaps just add a note that only 9 of the 17 male runners finished the race. That will put her accomplishment a little more in perspective. Karanacs (talk) 16:06, 1 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • I added the info in the caption of Louis' entering the stadium image.--Yannismarou (talk) 18:39, 1 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Support This is an interesting article about an obscure person - I was fascinated to learn that there was no women's marathon until the 1980s. Wow! Two questions:

  • Her journey took place several days prior to the Olympic marathon, a special race of 40 kilometers (25 mi) invented as part of the athletics program, and based on Michel Bréal's idea of a race from the city of Marathon to the Pnyx. - Wasn't the marathon inspired by the legendary runner who ran from Marathon to Athens after a battle? Awadewit (talk) 01:09, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Yeap, Pheidippides. Breal conceived the idea of an athletic event, being inspired by this legendary race. But it was Breal who proposed the idea. Should I rephrase to make that clear?--Yannismarou (talk) 01:27, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • As a matter of fact, I now saw that I already have that in note 4! Like Karanacs, you miss my notes! Seriously, now, I'll transfer the info in the main text for clarification.--Yannismarou (talk) 01:40, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Tarasouleas suggests that Melpomene and Revithi are the same person, and Martin and Green argue that "a contemporary account referring to Revithi as a well-known marathon could explain the earlier run by a woman over the marathon course—this was by Revithi herself, not Melpomene" - "a well-known marathoner"? Is there a typo here?
  • Oups! I think it should be "marathon runner" but let me check the source again. Thanks!--Yannismarou (talk) 01:31, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Let me know when this article passes and I'll add it to Portal:Feminism. Awadewit (talk) 01:09, 5 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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