Summary vs Analysis

Being a good reader is a misleading phrase.  Indeed as Nabokov asserts, rereading is important.  Even more important however, is the analysis we do after as well as during reading.  This is something that is demanded of us for the writing of college papers, but is also pursuant to how we live our lives.  It is important that we don't just read a book, or view a movie, but that we delve into it and immerse ourselves in the symbolism that they present us.

I personally do a lot of reading for enjoyment.  I have read titles such as Maus and The Things They Carried, that are popular as assigned texts, not for a class, but simply because I chose to.  I like this approach because I can read a text without having to rush to meet class deadlines.  There is much that we can do to educate ourselves, and I am a big believer in doing so, both through reading, and through experiencing the world.  "The basic faith underlying education is that an examined life is better, richer, and fuller than an unexamined life." -Greg Smith  One can not live life merely through the lens of literature.  But books open the world to us, and allow us to go to places and times that we otherwise could not.  The most important element in reading is that we address a work as a medium for authors to speak to us about their thoughts on life, culture, political atmosphere etc.  To do this we need to do what our English teachers demanded of us in essays: analysis.

It is easy to initially become confused between summary and analysis.  A summary is a retelling of a story or certain elements of a story, it's characters, and setting.  Summarizing only shows that you have read the work, it doesn't demonstrate that you have thought about it.  Reading for enjoyment has merit, but reading for content can be even more rewarding.  Analysis means that you dive into the literature and make your own assertions about what the authors intent was.  Looking for symbolism, meaning , and intent can heighten the readers experience, and bring new insight to our lives and interactions with other people.

"Lots of things in our everyday world are there by accident. If I trip over a stone that causes me to bump into someone, that jostling encounter is probably not part of a higher design. It's just a random occurrence of the sort that happens all the time with no enormous significance in the real world. There is a temptation to treat a film in a similar manner, as if spontaneous things occur by chance. Nothing could be further from the truth." - Greg Smith

I challenge that we need to view literature in the same way that Smith asserts we should look at film.  Indeed the two are very similar.  I'm sure everyone can immediately call to mind more than one or two films that are based on books.  Rereading, and re-watching can provide us with new insight.  Comparing our ideas with others can be incredibly illuminating.  It is difficult to abandon the notions we have developed about a text, but when faced with further information or insight, it might be necessary.  Having preconceived notions about a work before reading it can be very dangerous for this reason.  Life is not static, although a literary work is considered to be so, it can be re-edited, and can certainly change when it is translated.  Let's assume that literature is primarily unchanging.  The perspectives of different readers will always be different.  Indeed the perspective of the same reader may even change.  I read Shabanu and Haveli by Suzanne Fischer Staples when I was about 14 years old.  I was incredibly moved by them as a young woman.  I still have them in my collection, and am planning on reading them again soon, not only because I remember how much I enjoyed them, but because through my own life experiences and maturation I know I will have a completely new perspective on, and appreciation of them.


I really apologize for the video quality, but I wanted to include an example of the difference between analysis and synopsis, and why analyzing something is worthwhile, and important, and that it can be an ongoing process.  I don't know what's up with my webcam, but the audio is good (and recording an 8 minute video without interruption at my house is a feat!)





Greg Smith. "'It's Just a Movie': A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes." Cinema Journal 41.1 (Fall 2001). Web. http://www2.gsu.edu/~jougms/Justamovie.htm .Accessed 23 August 2012.