Wikipedia:Plot summaries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This page attempts to describe how plot summaries are used on Wikipedia. It doesn't have a fancy tag yet as we haven't worked one out.
Contents |
[edit] Guidance
A work of fiction, indeed, any fictive thing, in and of itself isn't necessarily worthy of an encyclopedic article. In order to write encyclopedically on any given topic we need to summarise the established thinking upon the topic. We do this by referring to primary and secondary sources, ensuring they are reliable enough to support the points asserted. An article on any given topic, for example the Moon will not simply describe it, it will describe its impact upon the wider world, its role in shaping civilisation, its meaning to culture and to the universe at large. It will attempt to summarise for the reader all major thinking on the topic, all critical study and academic investigation. This is no different for works of fiction.
[edit] What is a plot summary
While a "plot summary" strictly speaking means a retelling or summary of the events that occur during a fictional work, within Wikipedia this also extends to summarising plot within an article on any fictional topic. For example, summarising the plot-lines involving one character in a television series still amounts to plot summary.
The purpose of a plot summary is to help the reader understand the important events within a work of fiction, be they the work as a whole or an individual character. By definition a summary is an abridged or shortened precis of these major events. A plot summary should not replace or replicate the detail of the main work.
[edit] How are plot summaries used on Wikipedia?
A plot summary helps to illustrate points within an article. Where a specific plot point has been commented upon by academics or the media, it is necessary to describe that plot point. This can be done by quoting the opinion of the academic in question, appropriately sourced as follows:
| “ | In 1986, a decision was taken to restructure the universe the Superman character inhabited with other DC characters. This saw the publication of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", a two part story written by Alan Moore, with art by Curt Swan, George Pérez and Kurt Schaffenberger.[1] The story was published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, and presented what Les Daniels notes as "the sense of loss the fans might have experienced if this had really been the last Superman tale."[2] | ” |
An alternative approach is to summarise the plot and the reactions to it, and cite your source at the end:
| “ | The heart of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the test of Gawain's adherence to the code of chivalry. The typical temptation fable of medieval literature presents a series of tribulations assembled as tests or "proofs" of moral virtue. The stories often describe several individuals' failures after which the main character is tested.[3] Success in the proofs will often bring immunity or good fortune. Gawain's ability to pass the tests of his host are of utmost importance to his survival, though he does not know it. It is only by fortuity or “instinctive-courtesy” that Sir Gawain is able to pass his test.[4] | ” |
A third approach is to summarise the plot at the start of the article and then summarise the reception and criticism in separate sections underneath, allowing the reader to familiarise themselves with the work before digesting reactions to it. See The Cat and the Canary (1927 film) or Our Friends in the North for examples. This approach, while common, may not be the best: See "The spoiler issue" section below.
[edit] How to write a plot summary
The plot section is made self-contained (and is a separate section designated by ==Plot== or ==Synopsis==), so plot details and actor names already mentioned in the lead section, and/or mentioned in a cast section, are repeated here. Plot summaries should be between 300 and 500 words for a typical episode or story, and longer as needed for adequate discussion of a longer work, especially if the plot is very complicated.
Describe the basic premise of the fictional work in a couple of sentences. Introduce key characters, with actors' names in parentheses after them, Character (Actor, where applicable).
Now provide a more comprehensive plot summary. As this is an encyclopedia, not an advertisement, you should include plot twists and a description of the ending. Articles should not contain any tags or warnings to alert readers about spoilers. For more about spoilers, see The spoiler issue, below, and WP:SPOILER.
The events of the work do not have to be described in the order in which they appear; see Pulp Fiction for an example of this. Spoilers should not under any circumstances be deleted, as that directly contradicts the Wikipedia-wide content disclaimer. There are also other unacceptable alternatives which have been proposed in the past. In short, Wikipedia contains spoilers; please respect this policy.
Plot summaries can be written from the real world perspective by referring to specific works or parts of works ("In the first book", "In Act II") or describing things from the author or creator's perspective ("The author introduces", "The story describes"). This gives the summary a more grounded tone and makes it more accessible to those unfamiliar with the source material. This style of writing should be preferred for plot summaries that encompass multiple works, such as a series of novels. Such conventions are not as important for plot summaries of single works, such as novels that are not part of a series; nevertheless, some real-world language at the beginning of such summaries is often good style. The length of a plot summary should be carefully balanced with the length of the other sections.
[edit] How to cite
Where the plot is of one single piece of work, it is not necessary to add a citation, for example, if your article is on a stand-alone film, book, comic, television or radio programme, the citation would be the work itself. However, where the work discussed was published or broadcast in a serial form, a citation to the individual episode, book, film or comic is appropriate to allow readers and editors to better identify and verify the summary.
[edit] Length of plot summaries
Plot summaries have a tendency to grow past the recommended 300 to 500 word length. Some editors call this phenomonon "plot bloat." Appropriate plot summaries describe the major events depicted in the fictional work, but do not describe individual scenes in detail or paraphrase dialog. For larger or complex fictional works, certain elements can be split off into sub-articles, per WP:SS. Where this happens, guidelines tell us that "The parent article should have general summary information and the more detailed summaries of each subtopic should be in daughter articles and in articles on specific subjects." This allows individual summaries to maintain their size even for more complex works.
Some editors feel that longer plot summaries are a good thing as they provide more information to the readers. However, in many cases a more concise summary may in fact be more informative, as it picks out only the truly important elements. By focussing the reader's attention on the larger structures of a plot, without drowning it in trivial detail, a shorter summary can often help the reader to understand a work much better than an overlong one.
Some editors also feel that overlong plot summaries can pose a problem in terms of neutrality. Wikipedia must not give undue weight to one perspective at the expense of others. A long and detailed plot summary that relies on the fictional work as its source (called a primary source), would have a single primary source. Thus, at a minimum, the amount of text in the plot summary should strike a balance with the amount of text in other sections of the article that rely on other sources.
Some editors have also expressed concerns that plot summaries which describe individual scenes in detail or paraphrase dialog are a problem in terms of copyright and may constitute non-free content, which must be minimized to ensure Wikipedia's mission of creating a free-content encyclopedia. In a 1993 fair use court case in America, Twin Peaks Productions vs. Publications International [1], it was ruled that a book about a television series constituted a copyright infringement because, among other things, it contained a detailed account of "every intricate plot twist and element of character development" found in the original. According to the ruling, it is okay if a plot is "briefly described for purposes of adding significant criticism or comment about the author's plotting technique", but it may constitute a copyright violation if it "goes far beyond merely identifying their basic outline for the transformative purposes of comment or criticism" and instead simply "recount[s] for its readers precisely the plot details" of a fictional work.
Sometimes a more complex plot may call for a longer summary. As a rule, try to expand other sections of the article providing a real world perspective before adding to the plot summary. Our best fiction articles tend to have more real-world information than plot summary, not the other way around. If no more real-world information can be found then consider omitting some details of the plot. Similarly, if you find a summary that already overshadows the real-world information in the article, consider trimming it down to size.
[edit] The spoiler issue
Wikipedia contains spoilers, as well it should to be a comprehensive bearer of information. Additionally, it is traditional for Wikipedia articles on fiction (including featured articles) to summarize the work's plot in the section immediately following the lede. This stylistic convention on Wikipedia has evolved organically and is now consider a standard part of our manuscript style. This convention should lead readers who have not yet seen or read a work to use caution when reading the article on that work. If they would like to gain some general knowledge about it beforehand (such as its premise, critical reception, details relating to its production, its relation to other works, and so on), they should be aware that the article may contain information that may reveal plot details including twist and other "spoilers". No effort will be made to minimize any undesirable effects of "spoilers" on those who wish to avoid this information. Spoiler warnings were employed at one time, but the consensus of editors was that this practice was unencyclopedic, so their use has been eliminated.
However, when summarizing a plot and choosing what details to include, an editor should use discretion. Putting every single possible spoiler at the beginning of the summary, in the form of a lengthy reproduction of the work stripped of all of its artistic qualities, is a questionable way for us to be writing an article about a work of fiction. In the same way that Wikipedia is not censored, but also does not tolerate sensationalism or offensiveness for its own sake, Wikipedia should contain spoilers, but not simply for the purpose of ruining the fiction for our readers.
Nevertheless, all users should remember Caveat lector or "the reader beware." If one looks up the article on Penis, there is no method of limiting the information to which one exposes oneself. It is quite likely that the article will contain a detailed description of the structure and function (along with images) of this anatomical organ. In the same way, a reader should use extreme care if they are determined to read an article about a work of fiction but avoid any details of the work's plot.
[edit] Dealing with plot summary
How should we best tackle articles with plot summaries?
Where an article is simply a plot summary, what method better improves Wikipedia in line with its goal?
- Leaving the article. It may well be improved eventually
- Tag the article for clean-up
- Attempt to improve the article, searching for sourced opinions on the work or fictive topic
- Attempt to improve the article, editing the existing plot summary in line with the manual of style
- Allow time for it to evolve
- Merge it into a parent topic that only discusses the plot very briefly
- Delete it
Is any one answer valid, or are all equally viable?
