As part of a recent in class assignment for my course, each member of the EN6009 module was to edit the Wikipedia website. Each person would pick a page, or a number of pages, which they felt lacked in content and needed updates or revisions.

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that was launched in January of 2001. It’s purpose is to distribute information free of charge, only receiving monetary gains through donations. It is available in 331 languages.

When I approached this exercise, I had been looking into the medieval concept of ‘otherworld,’ and had become quite interested in the modern reception of this trope. Therefore, I naturally looked to see if there was page made for ‘otherworld’ and to my delight there had been. The page is comprehensive in its information, dealing with many of the various otherworld traditions found in an array of cultures such as Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Persian, and Slavic. What had not yet been added to this page however, was a section dealing with the modern reception of the otherworld concept, and I therefore saw the opportunity to make an edit.

The first part of my edit involved making a new section in the page. My initial idea was to entitle the section “Modern Reception” as this would be the correct academic term for what the content of the edit would deal with; how modern audiences receive the theme of otherworld. Then I considered how accessible this title might be to someone who might not have a background in the study of literature, and therefore might not immediately grasp what it is trying to convey. I decided that because Wikipedia is a website dedicated to sharing information to all, that a more appropriate title would be ‘Modern Depictions’ giving the reader a clearer impression of what the subject matter is by using a less academic term.

I then went on to write the following edit:

The idea of the Otherworld has been adapted and used by several modern authors. J. R. R. Tolkien drew upon the Sir Orfeo text, which depicts a journey to the Otherworld as inspiration for the Mirkwood Elves of The Hobbit.^[15] C. S. Lewis also drew upon the tropes of the Celtic Otherworld in his creation of The Chronicles of Narnia, which depicts the journey from this world to another.

This, I feel, is an accessible introduction to the modern use of the otherworld theme as found in well known authors such as Tolkien and Lewis. It references source material (Sir Orfeo) as makes a relevant connection that each text has to otherworld. It also contains a reference, which on the page can be found by hovering the mouse over the number 15 in the paragraph. It reads as follows: “Andoni Cossio (2021) Sir Orfeo as the Source for the Medieval Romance Topoi of Abduction and Otherworld Rampant within The Hobbit’s Mirkwood, ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/0895769X.2021.1967105.”

I found the experience of editing Wikipedia to be of significant value. I learned the importance of sharing information, whether it be among peers in class, or to the entire world through the internet. I also learned how meticulous one must be in their research even when making a small edit on Wikipedia, and the amount of work that goes into such a task. Now that I have gained the skill of making edits on Wikipedia, I am sure that I will make many more in the future. To find my edit, click here.