Author: Shirley Jackson The site www.wikipedia.com is not the most reliable source for information about any topic, and it is not a source that is universally accepted in research papers. This is because anyone, not necessarily experts, can submit information; it may be inaccurate.
However, wikipedia is often a great place to begin a general search for information because lists of possibly credible resources are cited at the bottom of each page. Using wikipedia.com, find out about the author.
When searching for information about a writer, you want to look for these kinds of things that might have affected their writing:
When and where did she live? What sort of writing did she do? Who was her usual reading audience? (Are they like you in any way?) What were her most famous writings? What else is she known for besides her writing, if anything? What might her biases and/or interests have been? How might these have influenced the things she chose to write about?