Summary and Analysis: Interdependant

Summary and analysis are two very different yet almost interdependent things. Summary means nothing without analysis and analysis requires at least some summary, so they are very really interconnected. If I were to say that Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol was about a miser who through a series of dreams becomes generous, it presents nothing new to anyone, for the story about Scrooge has already been written. On the other hand the statement that the implications of Christmas Carol were that Christmas is a time for forgiveness as well as gifts, I may bring something new to people's attention. That is the difference between summary and analysis. Analysis is literary criticism at work. It is taking the work of an author and tearing it apart to see what the implications of the story are, whether intended or not. A good example of analysis where the immediate effects of a story were unintended is Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. It's immediate effect was shock and horror at the meatpacking industries. Analysis however showed that it's intended purposes were to deride capitalism and motivate people to a socialist mind view. Thus we see that popular opinion on a piece does not necessarily mean that there is nothing left to analyze.  Every person will have a unique analysis of a work, for they may focus on different details and aspects. Going back to our example of Dickens's Christmas Carol, one person may focus their analysis on the relationship between the rich and the poor, another on contentedness, still others on, as I said, forgiveness. This is analysis at work. People discovering and sharing their ideas and critiques with others. This is also why it is important not to simply read a piece but to analyze it as well. So the next time you pick up a book, look deeper into the real message of the story.