Plot Summary vs. Interpretive Writing

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Plot Summary vs. Interpretive Writing

• A Presentation of the
• George Mason University Writing Center

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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
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In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K.
Rowling offers up equal parts danger and
delightand 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 Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision
harrowing enough to make his lightening-bolt-shape
d scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his
godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the
prospect of attending the seasons premier
sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is
enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord
Voldemort and his sinister familiarsthe Death
Eatersare out for murder. Kerry Fried on
Amazon.com
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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.
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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 much deeper
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 and upliftingeven 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 albums
themes. Anthony DeCurtis on cdnow.com
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What Is Interpretive Writing?
All weve 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.
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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.
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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.
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So how can I recognize a good interpretive
question when I see one? Heres one way
Is Luke Skywalker actually Darth Vaders
son? This is NOT a helpful interpretive
question. Why not? Because the movie Star
Wars gives us the answer Luke is Darth Vaders
son, and thats all there is to it. No
interpretation possible. Heres 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.
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But my teacher doesnt ask me to write about
Star Wars. Okay, then, heres 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.
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Hamlet's central problem is that he acts too
rashly, too impulsively.
Suddenly, weve got an interpretation. Remember,
its only one of many possibilities Hamlets
central problem is that he is fated to die, and
that nothing he can say or do will prevent
it. Hamlets central problem is that he is a
self-centered, spoiled brat who destroys those
closest to him in his blind quest for
revenge. Hamlets central problem is that he
caught in a world he doesnt understand, and that
for all his intelligence he fails to understand
clearly the forces lined up against
him. Hamlets central problem is that he is
slowly going mad.
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Now all thats left to do is support your
interpretation
This, of course, is where the bulk of your
writing comes from. Youll need to show the
reader why your interpretation is at least
possible. To do so youll 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. Its on our web site, alongside the
presentation youre currently viewing.) To
continue...
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Why Is It Important to Write Interpretively?

• Interpretation shows your reader that you have
  understood what you have read.
• Your interpretation is individualit shows how
  you think and sets you apart from other writers.

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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.

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Is Plot Summary Ever Okay?
Yesbut rarely. Only summarize when youre trying
to remind readers of certain events in order to
better support your interpretation.
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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.