Literary Analysis vs. Summary

It retells the main events of a story in your own words, focusing on plot points in chronological order.

It interprets the deeper meaning behind the story's events and characters.

It provides a personal opinion about the story's themes.

It compares the story to other works by the same author.

To summarize the plot of a story

To examine how and why an author crafts a story

To memorize character names

To list all the events in a story

A summary explores deeper meanings, while analysis retells events.

A summary is interpretive, while analysis is factual.

A summary retells what happens, while analysis explores how and why.

A summary uses symbolism, while analysis does not.

Text Evidence

Literary Devices

Theme Connection

Character List