How much commentary and opinion is appropriate in a story identification answer?

Question

There was a minor disagreement about this answer of mine, so I thought we should discuss it here.

How much opinion commentary is appropriate in the answer to a story ID question? Or, put another way: Should answers include the answerer's subjective impressions of a work? Personally, when answering such questions, if it is a work that I know well, I try to offer my thoughts on the work in question. I think that is useful data, which may be valuable to anyone interested in or searching for a work.

Answer 1

Nothing wrong with including some opinion, as long as you also answer the question properly.

This goes for pretty much any type of answer, not just story-ID. It's OK to include a little bit of more subjective discussion, or even humour and jokes, as long as the bulk of the post is focused on seriously answering the question. We don't absolutely "hate fun" ;-)

For story-ID in particular, there are several things we in general might learn from a Q&A as well as just providing the OP with their answer. For example, the question might show us which aspects of the story were most memorable, at least for that particular OP. A good answer will show how the given story matches each element of the question, but it might also be interesting to include some additional information, even if that's subjective. We're not a review service, but there's no harm in a little bit of opinion every now and then.

In this case, you provided a decent answer to the question - quoted plot summary, link for further reading - and then finished off with literally four words expressing your opinion of the film. I don't think there's any problem with that.

Answer 2

You asked how much opinion should be included in a story-ID answer. To that I say that a little goes a long way. I usually try to avoid it entirely, but I make an exception when it's one of my very favorite authors or stories.

You didn't ask what kind of opinions should be included. Please bear in mind that, in most cases, the asker is asking about a story that he or she remembers with some affection, and may not appreciate being told that it stinks; they have asked us to identify it, not to evaluate it. Please remember that The Customer Is Always Right, and there is no pressing need to prove what good taste we have and how hard to please we are. In other words, if you can't say something nice about the work, consider keeping your opinion to yourself.