What’s the difference between a Plot Summary and a Study Guide?

Modified on Mon, Mar 3 at 5:18 PM

The SuperSummary library includes free Plot Summaries for 4,650+ books and full-length Study Guides for 8,900+ titles, available with a subscription.

Plot Summaries

A Plot Summary offers a complete synopsis of the text, breaking down the narrative in easy-to-understand terms.

For titles that are only available as Plot Summaries, you have the option to request that our team consider developing the summary into a comprehensive Study Guide. If you provide us with your email address, we'll notify you when the full-length Study Guide is available.

Like full-length Study Guides, you can save Plot Summaries for quick access later:

Study Guides

A Study Guide includes a complete plot summary, plus multiple additional sections of analysis written by literary experts. Each full-length Study Guide includes:

Contextualized overview of the text with a full plot summary
Background and contextual details
In-depth chapter-by-chapter summaries
Detailed chapter analyses
Major character analysis
Analysis of important themes, symbols, and motifs
Important quotes with explanations
Essay and discussion topics

Select titles also include a companion Teaching Guide packed with time-saving study questions, activities, and essay prompts.

With a SuperSummary subscription, you have the option to save, listen to, and download Study Guides:

To explore our premium content, check out our sample fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essay, and short story Study Guides.

We publish 125+ new Study Guides every month, and we welcome your suggestions to expand our library. Use this link to suggest a title we still don't have and receive a notification if it becomes available.