Wikipedia:How to write a plot summary: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:22, 6 January 2025

Revision as of 08:21, 6 January 2025

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{{ombox|text=This page is not considered a [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|Wikipedia guideline]], but [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction]] is. Whenever possible, the guidelines should be followed. Furthermore, [[WP:PLOT|policy]] states that a plot summary should not swamp an article.}}

An encyclopedia article about a work of fiction typically includes, but should never be limited to, a summary of the plot. This will give context to the sourced commentary that should also be present. The plot summary should be thorough yet concise., Findingdistilling thea rightlarge balanceamount requiresof carefulinformation editorialinto discretiona brief and discussionaccessible format.

==Purpose of the plot summary==

A plot summary aims to present a concise overview of the story, distilling a large amount of information into a brief and accessible format. Its purpose is not to replicate the experience of reading or watching the work, nor to cover every detail. For readers unfamiliar with the story, it should provide a general outline of the major points. For those already familiar, it should offer enough detail to serve as a memory refresher, but no more.

==What plot summaries are not==

{{shortcut|WP:PLOTSUMNOT}} A plot summary is not a recap. It should not cover every scene or every moment of a story. The point of a summary is not to reproduce the experience—itexperience of reading or watching the work—it's to summarise the story. In some cases, a plot summary might not even present events in the order that the story does.<ref>For some stories—''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'', for instance, or ''[[If on a Winter's Night a Traveler]]''—presenting events in the order of the original would not be helpful. The events in these stories are presented nonlinearly, and much of the experience is based on untangling the plot. For the purpose of an encyclopedia, we do not want to add to mystery—we want to explain it. <br /> For something like ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'', where the original order is there for a dramatic reason, we might note that the story is structured in a particular way, and we'll surely want to explain what parts of the story are treated as big revelations.</ref> In fact, readers might be here because they didn't understand the original. Just repeating what they have already seen or read is unlikely to help them.

Do not attempt to re-create the emotional impact of the work through the plot summary. Wikipedia is not a substitute for the original.<ref>As emotionally moving as the end of ''Hamlet'' is, the final fight does not need to be described in exquisite detail that attempts to re-create every emotional beat of the scene. Our article should not try to be a replacement for actually reading the play.</ref>