Wednesday 6 February 2013

Biographies, fictional and nonfictional

The biographies on Wikipedia usually mention the subject's marriage and children towards the end of article, if at all. It's as if that personal information has no bearing on the subject's accomplishments. Other personal information such as parentage, schooling, siblings usually appears towards the top of the article. That makes the placement or omission of the data on marriages and children all the more curious. Are natal family and education seen as more important determinants of success than marriage and children ? This contrasts with novels, which foreground family life and often focus on marriage and children.