Henrik Ibsen Internet Sources Evaluation - Coursework Example

Henrik Ibsen Internet Sources Evaluation Introduction Sources and their evaluation is an important part of research and the internet serves as a valuable tool for locating information about several topics. However, just as in the real world, some sources are more valuable than others and this is true for the virtual world as well. The worth of sources can be compared in several different ways in terms of reliability, accuracy and even the sheer amount of information that is provided by a source and this idea can be clarified by looking at various internet sources that provide information with regard to the author Henrik Ibsen. The evaluation given below is given in connection with the value of the source if it is being used to write a research paper on A Doll House which is a play written by Ibsen. Britannica Britannica is a well known encyclopedia which has been in circulation for more than two hundred years. It is considered an essential part of any reference library and copies of it can be found in private collections as well as nearly all good libraries of the world. The contributions to the encyclopedia are made by expert writers and eminent researchers in their field who have given Britannica acceptance and credibility in the eyes of the public. Of course there are some who consider encyclopedias such as Britannica to be a very easy source to use and detailed information about a specialist topic may be difficult to find in a general reference work. However, with regard to Ibsen, the online data provided by the encyclopedia is quite significant since the article is more than 2,500 words long. However, it covers the early life and childhood of Ibsen in just one paragraph which describes how his childhood was quite hard with a bankrupt father and a mother who was devoutly religious. However, it does give a lot of attention to the most famous play written by Ibsen and there are more than 350 words within the article which are spent on the play alone. The source gives key information such as, “his play was about knowing oneself and being true to that self (Adams, 2007, Pg. 1)”, and it gives a bit of character analysis as well when we are told that, “Torvald, who had thought all along that he was a sturdy ethical agent, proves to be a hypocrite and a weak compromiser; his wife is not only an ethical idealist, but a destructive one (Adams, 2007, Pg. 1)”. Information such as this can certainly be useful for anyone hoping to write a research paper on the play itself. In terms of research, the contextual reception of the play when it was first presented is also important and Britannica does not disappoint in that area. We are told that the initial reaction to the play was one of scandal since it could not be conceived at the time that a woman could leave her family. However, this and other ‘scandalous’ plays of Ibsen gained popularity with time and the audiences began to appreciate his plays and take them seriously. Therefore, it is easy to say that Britannica is a valuable resource for those who wish to write a research paper on A Doll House. Google Groups The same is difficult to say for Google Groups because if we take Britannica as the measure then Google Groups fails to stand up to the comparison. While it does give a lot of information about his impact on theater as well as his personal life, there is little to be found here of value which would be helpful in writing a research paper on A Doll House. We do get the year the play was released to the public, i.e. 1879, but nothing more about the play is given (GoogleGroups, 2007). What causes serious doubts to be placed on the validity and value of the resource are a number of comments which are added on to the article since they appear to be very non-serious when it comes to the topic (GoogleGroups, 2007). As an obituary, the material is quite useful since it provides a lot of background information about the author and his life but as a resource which can be used for writing a research paper; it is difficult to recommend this page. The researcher might have to look elsewhere to find meaningful and useful information about the play and the author. Wikipedia Perhaps the most controversial research related source is Wikipedia since it is an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. In recent times, Wikipedia has been a part of news coverage and has received both positive and negative remarks from people with regard to its content and quality. In fact, some organizations and schools do not even accept it as a source since it is relatively difficult, if not altogether impossible to find out who actually wrote the material which is presented to the readers. However, it certainly provides a lot of content about Ibsen that can be verified from other sources. Sadly, when it comes to A Doll House, the site just informs the user that, “The play is a scathing criticism of the traditional roles of men and women in Victorian marriage (Wikipedia, 2007, Pg. 1)”. Beyond that, the website does discuss other plays with a bit of character analysis and descriptions of plot lines but with regard to A Doll House, we do not get anything more. There is a link to a Wikipedia page concerning A Doll House which provides a wealth of information but just using the Ibsen page alone would be difficult to justify as a research source. In fact, it seems that the real usefulness of Wikipedia is the list of links which is given at the end of the page that allows the user to get to other pages which could be considered more reliable. This list includes information provided by the New York Times and Project Gutenberg which actually include the plays themselves in translation. It seems that Wikipedia can be used as a starting point for research but the information provided within should not be used without confirmation from other sources. Works Cited Adams, R. “Henrik Ibsen.” Britannica.com. 2007. Britannica. 11 Oct. 2007. Google Groups. “Henrik Ibsen (May 23rd 1906).” Google Groups. 2007. 10 Oct. 2007 Wikipedia. “Henrik Ibsen.” Wikipedia.org. 2007. Wikipedia. 10 Oct. 2007 Word Count: 1,076 Read More