Plot Summary vs. Interpretive Writing

1. Plot Summary vs. Interpretive Writing A Presentation of the George Mason University Writing Center

2. What Is Plot Summary? Plot summary is an overview of events. It reads much like the back of a novel and tells the reader what happens, but does not attempt to explain how the events are important or what they mean. The following example shows this type of plot summary :

3. “In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight—and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightening-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season’s premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars—the Death Eaters—are out for murder.” –Kerry Fried on Amazon.com

4. An important point about description: Remember, good writing about literature always uses the most precise and helpful language possible. Notice the highly evocative descriptions in the following passage, which does more than simply repeat the “plot.”

5. “Now best known for ‘Man on the Moon,’ the song that lent its title to the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Automatic for the People is a muchdeeper matter. Kaufman is only one of the ghosts who float through this moody meditation on mortality, celebrity, beauty, memory, and the significance we give them. The album is simultaneously haunting anduplifting—even as it engages weighty subjects, it does so with the conviction that, as one song simply puts it, ‘Sweetness Follows.’ Part of the sweetness is captured in sound. Autumnal, gorgeously melodic and often acoustic, Automatic makes use of orchestral arrangements that imbue the four songs in which they appear with sweep, texture, and a sonic dignity well suited to the album’s themes.” —Anthony DeCurtis on cdnow.com

6. What Is Interpretive Writing? All we’ve been doing so far is describing works of literature. But your teachers will eventually ask you to provide an interpretation, and to write interpretive papers. So….

7. Interpretive writing seeks to do more than simply summarize events. Its main goal is to help the reader understand the events, not just to know what they are.

8. Your interpretation is your own answer (or set of answers) to any of the those intriguing questions left over once we understand the "givens" (the plot, the setting, the point of view, important symbols, etc.) of a particular piece of literature. These questions can be called “interpretive questions.”

9. So how can I recognize a good interpretive question when I see one? Here’s one way: Is Luke Skywalker actually Darth Vader’s son? This is NOT a helpful interpretive question. Why not? Because the movie Star Wars gives us the answer: Luke is Darth Vader’s son, and that’s all there is to it. No interpretation possible. Here’s another question: What accounts for the enormous and lasting popularity of Star Wars? This is a much better interpretive question, as there are plenty of possible answers, none of them possible to “prove” as the only correct response.

10. But my teacher doesn’t ask me to write about Star Wars. Okay, then, here’s a more “scholarly” example: Why does Hamlet keep waiting to kill his uncle, when killing his uncle is what Hamlet has sworn to do? Possible answer: Hamlet does not delay; on the contrary, Hamlet's central problem is that he acts too rashly, too impulsively.

11. Hamlet's central problem is that he acts too rashly, too impulsively. Suddenly, we’ve got an interpretation. Remember, it’s only one of many possibilities: Hamlet’s central problemis that he is fated to die, and that nothing he can say or do will prevent it. Hamlet’s central problemis that he is a self-centered, spoiled brat who destroys those closest to him in his blind quest for revenge. Hamlet’s central problemis that he caught in a world he doesn’t understand, and that for all his intelligence he fails to understand clearly the forces lined up against him. Hamlet’s central problemis that he is slowly going mad.

12. Now all that’s left to do is support your interpretation This, of course, is where the bulk of your writing comes from. You’ll need to show the reader why your interpretation is at least possible. To do so you’ll need to provide a logical explanation of your interpretation and use plenty of quoted material from the text. (If you want help with using quoted material, check out our PowerPoint presentation on the topic. It’s on our web site, alongside the presentation you’re currently viewing.) To continue…...

13. Why Is It Important to Write Interpretively? • Interpretation shows your reader that you have understood what you have read. • Your interpretation is individual—it shows how you think and sets you apart from other writers.

14. Strategies To Avoid Plot Summary • Remember that your interpretation is only one of many possibilities. Think of your interpretation as an argument (or a thesis)—if you choose a side instead of stating facts, it makes interpretation easier. • Remember that your interpretation (your thesis) is the answer to a question. Answer that question in as many ways as you can.

15. Is Plot Summary Ever Okay? Yes…but rarely. Only summarize when you’re trying to remind readers of certain events in order to better support your interpretation.

16. In A Nutshell: • An interpretation is your answer to an unresolved question about a piece of literature • A good literature paper shows how you think and feel about a work you have read thoroughly. • Use plot summary only when absolutely necessary, and only to support an interpretation. • Finally, remember that your interpretation needs support, in the form of logical explanation and textual evidence.