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write about fictional works. Plot summaries necessarily involve selecting which elements of a fictional work are important enough to include in the summary and are thus secondary, rather than primary, sources. A plot summary that meets other criteria as a reliable source can be used to establish both
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Back at the station house, Cooper springs open Laura's diary and finds two significant entries (which he is careful to record for Diane): the last, dated
February 23, which reads "nervous about meeting J tonight," and one 18 days earlier, which includes an envelope containing a safety deposit box key
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In the bucolic
Northwest lumber town of Twin Peaks, Pete Martell discovers a body on the riverfront outside the Packard Mill. He calls Sheriff Truman ... "She's dead, wrapped in plastic," he sputters. Truman, Deputy Andy, and Doc Hayward go to inspect the body, which they discover to be that of Laura
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Some care should be taken not to provide a point-by-point description of the plot, but instead to provide an overview, appropriate to give the reader a general understanding of the work, but not intended to replace the work itself. Even in out-of-copyright works, a very detailed plot summary should
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Articles should be based upon reliable, third-party published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Reliable sources are needed to substantiate material within articles, and citations directing the reader to those sources are needed to give credit to authors and publishers, in
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first episode is quoted in Twin Peaks
Productions v. Publications International, where it was found to serve "no transformative function" and to elaborate the plot "in detail far beyond what is required to serve any legitimate purpose". The court quotes six paragraphs, and notes that represents
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FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper drives into town, primly dressed in a dark suit and tie and dictating the minutiae of his travels to his secretary, Diane, into a microcassette recorder. When he meets
Sheriff Truman--Harry S. Truman, that is--he immediately questions Truman about the local trees,
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encyclopedia article about a work of fiction will almost always include a brief synopsis of the major points of the plot. This is important to helping our readers understand the context of the analysis and impact of the work. However, if the plot description is overly-detailed, covering the
265:. Presenting fictional material from the original work is fine, provided that the passages are short, are given the proper context, and do not constitute the main portion of the article. If such passages stray into the realm of interpretation, secondary sources must be provided to avoid
242:; merely being true or useful does not automatically make something suitable for inclusion in an encyclopedia. As part of the over-riding goal of creating top-quality encyclopedia articles, Knowledge (XXG) seeks to cover fictional works from a broad perspective.
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in which the work or element of fiction is embedded, and should not solely be a plot summary. Articles should also include the real world context of the work (such as its development, legacy, critical reception, and any sourced literary analysis), alongside a
432:, and for fictional works, such stubs often initially contain little more than a synopsis of the plot. Articles on fictional works containing little more than a plot summary should be improved to provide more balanced coverage or tagged with
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A summary should facilitate substantial coverage of the work's real-world development, reception, and significance. This means that an article about a work of fiction or elements from such works should not solely be a summary of the
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Knowledge (XXG) has yet to have any legal action taken against it for copyright violations. It is expected that if such did occur, the general counsel for the
Wikimedia Foundation would inform the community of such actions.
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of the events that occur within a work of fiction. The purpose of a plot summary is to help the reader understand the important events within a work of fiction, be they of the work as a whole or of an individual character.
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notability of a fictional topic and verify specific facts about the fictional work, even if a
Knowledge (XXG) article based on such sources would need to incorporate other elements to be an optimal encyclopedia article.
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only be used on sub-pages intended to cover sourced literary criticism or analysis of the plot and characters, where the extended plot summary can be used to assist the reader in understanding the discussion.
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The
Lexicon’s verbatim copying of ... highly aesthetic expression raises a significant question as to whether it was reasonably necessary for the purpose of creating a useful and complete reference guide.
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real-world context. The coverage of a fictional work should not be a mere plot summary. A summary should facilitate substantial coverage of the work's real-world development, reception, and significance.
574:. A stub that has no possibility whatsoever for expansion beyond stub status is presenting the verifiable information in the wrong way. Knowledge (XXG) should not have single-fact articles.
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and rewrite it. This is a particularly common problem for articles which are primarily or solely plot summary. The in-universe perspective is misleading to readers and often invites
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print publication, whose detailed descriptions of plot elements—taken from its affiliated, online fan encyclopedia—appropriated too much of her work to serve as a reference guide.
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The verdict affirmed that such guides to fiction can fall under United States fair use law, but should avoid excessive use of creative expression to avoid copyright infringement.
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on similar topics: if the featured articles contain much less detail, and there is not a good reason for this article to contain more, then it's probably too detailed.
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It contains the advice or opinions of one or more
Knowledge (XXG) contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
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and white powder, and reads simply, "Day One." Cooper speculates that the white powder is cocaine, but Harry can't believe it. Laura?
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Palmer--the most popular girl in town. The body is wrapped in plastic sheeting and wound in white tape.
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series. Warner Bros. and
Rowling won the suit, with the verdict citing that
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Coverage of fictional topics should provide balanced coverage that includes
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For information about the inclusion criteria for fictional topics, see
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and rewrite the description to the level more appropriate to a
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every intricate plot twist and element of character development
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beginning his preoccupation with the local flora and fauna.
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For copyrighted works, excessively detailed plot summaries
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description of the work's plot, characters, and setting.
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plot summary is still a stub - an incomplete article.)
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Twin Peaks Productions vs. Publications International
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Twin Peaks Productions v. Publications International
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