The following discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not change it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No more changes should be made to this discussion.

The outcome of this request for deletion was to  Keep. as No Consensus This RfD has been open for over a month now. And there is no clear consensus even if you count as a straight vote 1 keep 2 redirect/rename and 2 delete.

Category:Fiction set in the past

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Category:Fiction set in the past (edit · talk · history · links · watch · logs · delete) · close request

Auntof6 has nominated this page for deletion for the reason: This category is not very precise. Using "by decade of setting" or something similar is a better way to identify things set in the past.

Also, most fiction that isn't already set in the past will become so as time passes, so things would have to be constantly moved into this category to keep it up to date. Auntof6 (talk) 20:20, 3 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please discuss this request below, but keep in mind that you shouldn't vote on everything and that there may be options other than "keep" or "delete", such as merging.

Discussion

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Keep - it is meant for fiction that was set in what was the past at the time it was published/released. Something set at what was then the present day is not fiction set in the past, so no moving of articles to keep it updated will be needed. Can someone can think of a better way of wording it? Jim Michael (talk) 10:44, 4 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If you're opposed to the cat merely because of its wording, the solution is to rename it rather than delete it. There are many categories by decade of setting for novels, films, television series and parent cats of various years, decades etc in fiction on en, but we do not have anywhere near enough articles for that, hence this broader cat. Jim Michael (talk) 10:01, 5 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, you could withdraw support from this unsuitable wording, so it can be deleted. Then I will support "Historical novels" as a category because it is well-established in the literary world, and well understood. Macdonald-ross (talk) 14:16, 7 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I do not agree that the wording of this category is unsuitable; it is clear and simple. What you are suggesting is a cat for novels only. This cat is for all fiction set in a timeframe prior to when it was released and includes the subcats of Category:Movies by decade of setting and Category:Period television series. I do not think we have many novels on Simple that are set in a previous era. The term historical novel is less simple than fiction set in the past, and therefore likely to be understood by fewer people. Being well-known in the literary world does not mean it will be well-understood by most of our readers. Auntof6 misunderstood the scope of this cat; I do not think that many other people would do likewise, but if the scope of it is what is unclear to some people, then a description of the cat can be stated on it. I do not believe that necessary, but if someone wants a brief description of the cat, that can easily be written. Something like This category is for fiction that is set before it was released. Jim Michael (talk) 19:43, 7 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
If I misunderstood the scope of the category, it's because the category name doesn't fully explain it. The person who creates a category usually has a clear idea of what they mean it to contain, but if all the nuances aren't included in the name then other people won't have the same understanding. --Auntof6 (talk) 04:20, 9 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I cannot think of a better title for this cat, which contains individual articles as well as Category:Period television series and Category:Movies by decade of setting. As I said, a one-sentence explanation on the cat would prevent any perceived ambiguity. Jim Michael (talk) 17:43, 9 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That would imply we'd need a separate category for comedy set in the past. I'm not sure we need that distinction.--Auntof6 (talk) 18:30, 13 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Costume drama would not include many of the articles that are/would be in this cat and its subcats. As well as not including comedy, it would not include dramin as such as Mad Men and Milk which I have never heard described as costume dramas, although a major aspect of them is that they are set in the past. Jim Michael (talk) 14:47, 14 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I do not think we yet have enough relevant articles to subcat that many times. However, if the cat is kept, that can be done when there are enough articles. Jim Michael (talk) 07:31, 21 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This request is due to close on 20:20, 10 May 2014 (UTC), seven days after it was filed, although it may be closed earlier at the discretion of an administrator.

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not change it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page, such as the current discussion page. No more changes should be made to this discussion.
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