Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Nikita Zotov/archive1

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 not promoted by SandyGeorgia 17:58, 9 August 2009 [1].

---

Nikita Zotov

Nominator(s): NW (Talk)'

• Featured article candidates/Nikita Zotov/archive1
• Featured article candidates/Nikita Zotov/archive2

Well, I think I have taken this article as far as I can, and I think it might be ready for featured status. I had been reading a great book by Robert K. Massie on Peter The Great (Peter the Great: His Life and World) about a month and a half ago when I stumbled upon this footnote in history. I figured that I would just write up a quickie 1,500 bytes-of-prose article to get the article on the main page, and then move on. But Zotov grew on me, and so for some reason I decided to take this a bit further. The total prose now stands at around 2,000 words, and I feel that the article is truly comprehensive. I have researched it to the best of my ability; Google Books, JSTOR, and library's network all have no further books on Peter the Great that could be helpful for this article. So, now that I have bored you with this boring nomination statement, what do you guys think of the article? NW (Talk) 02:12, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

1st comments from Materialscientist. I remember seeing this hook at DYK just very recently and am really pleased to see the article has evolved that far. That said, I believe this nomination is somewhat premature (i.e. strong oppose for now):

• There is a grave danger to write about old Russia without reading russian sources - the article sites too often Robert K. Massie and Henry Smith Williams as if they are the prime authority on Peter I. Just an illustration (not a proof) of where this could lead - the Russian wikipedia page and many web-pages on Zotov site respectable Russian books of 19th century whose authors had much better information access than we have now. They give somewhat different picture of Zotov's life. For example, Sergey Solovyov wrote that it was Zotov's idea to marry at 70, and Peter actually opposed that. Whereas sources might differ on whose idea it was, they all seem clear that marriage was a great joke, a part of the craziest activities of The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters. The next marriage for Pashkova (to the successor of Zotov) was apparently the logical follow up of the Zotov's marriage within The All-Drunken "activities". The present article describes all that more like a drama and political games of Peter I. " (after Zotov's death) .. Peter wasted no time in moving on, at least publicly; .. Peter even ordered that Zotov's widow be married to Buturlin". The article also misses the point that the idea of Zotov "to spend his final years in a monastery" was his another Synod-style joke - he was known, until his death, as a craziest man, the leader even among extraordinary All-Drunken Synod members.

• The article takes too much of responsibility in coverage of events: "Zotov left on a diplomatic mission to the Crimea in 1680 for three years.. Zotov disappears from the records of Russian history at this point, but reappears in 1692" .. "It is unknown if Zotov had any other children." .. "In December 1717, Nikita Zotov died of causes unreported in any historical sources." - Recommend avoiding all such. In general, one may not speak for all historical literature, especially in this case. Sergey Solovyov (and others) are clear that Zotov had more than one son (Vasili, Konon, ?). It is also hard to believe that while being with the documented army mission and then teaching Peter around that time, Zotov became invisible.

• The lead sound abrupt on dates: we first read that Zotov "was chosen to be Peter's tutor in the late seventeenth century" and then that "left Moscow for a diplomatic mission to Crimea in 1680" followed by later events. Another problem with dates comes in "By that time, Zotov was either 82 or 83 years old", whereas there is little doubt he was much younger and died at 74.

• "Zotov was one of the few men in Moscow who was literate at the time" - it is hard to believe that: as a religeous center of Russia, Moscow should have had at least dozens of literate men (church leadership).

• I understand the section title "Peter I of Russia's education" as if Zotov was a leader of Russia's education. Ergh.. he only taught Peter.. Materialscientist (talk) 07:02, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

• Comment to FAC director/delegates: Materialscientist came up with a great deal more sources for me to look through, and I feel like for me to adequately do criterion 1c justice, I will need additional time. Also, I just recalled that I will be out of town and unable to access a computer during the next business week, so I wish to withdraw this nomination now. NW (Talk) 16:08, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

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