What Is a Synopsis? According to a common synopsis definition, a synopsis is a brief summary of the composition that provides the audience with an idea of what is this composition about. Basically, it needs to provide the reader with a short overview of the storyline mentioning all the important points and plot twists. In addition, a synopsis should discuss the genre, style, music, characters, setting, and other points that are worth attention.
People may write synopses of different kinds: book synopses, film synopses, article synopses, dissertation synopses, or many other documents.
The amount of details provided in a synopsis usually depends on its purpose. For instance, when writing a synopsis of the manuscript, the book author wants to persuade the literary agent that the book is worth publishing. The article synopsis is usually published in the academic journals along with the article itself as it should provide the readers with the key points discussed in the article so that they could understand if this article fits their research interests or not.
Example of a Synopsis
Here is an example of the story synopsis of Goldilocks and Three Bears:
Goldilocks and Three Bears is the story that begins with the depiction of the bears` family. They lived in the forest and were respected by other forest citizens. Once when they have left to visit their friend, a little girl named Goldilocks came to the house. She ate their food and slept in their beds. When the bears came back home, they were very surprised. The girl suddenly realized that she visited the bears` house, so she moved away frightened and anxious.
As you can see, a synopsis should squeeze the lengthy story into several lines so that the readers could be aware of what happened to the main characters. A good synopsis is never too wordy or detailed as it should make the reader want to read the rest of the composition right away.
Importance of a Synopsis
It should be mentioned that synopses are very important, especially when it comes to literature field or cinematography.
Examples of a Good Synopsis in Literature
When we are looking for a novel to read, we want to read the synopsis that will help us make the right choice. Undoubtedly, being too busy, we do not want to spend our time reading boring novels. Therefore, a good synopsis is a great instrument that should convince us that the book is worth reading. Here is a synopsis of The Great Gatsby written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald:
The Great Gatsby is the story telling of deceitful illusions and explaining how they can poison human life. The whole story is the narration of the protagonist, named Nick. Nick's sister Daisy is living on the opposite side of the bay with her husband, aristocrat and rake Tom Buchanan. Over time, Nick falls into the world of the rich and becomes a witness to their ups and downs. Jay Gatsby lives in a large mansion. Every day, many people visit him. Everyone is talking about the size and sources of his wealth. However, no one knows anything about Gatsby's past. Soon, Nick and Gatsby become good friends and Nick Carraway becomes aware that his mysterious neighbor is in love with Daisy. After the tragedy, he decides to write a story about Gatsby, a story about love and endless throwing.
Example of a Synopsis in Pop Culture
Many TV shows should provide their audience with a written preview or a storyline that will help the people find out whether the show is worth watching.
The TV series named Friends tells us about the cheerful American youth. The frivolous girl Rachel, beautiful and punctual Monica, cheerful Chandler, kind and compassionate Phoebe, handsome Joey, who in his dreams imagines himself a celebrity, as well as extremely smart Ross, will entertain the audience in every episode. The life of young people is full of vivid impressions: love and passions fill them every day. Job searches, love, quarrels, lack of money, marriage, and many other things happen with the ordinary American guys. Interesting adventures continue from series to series making Friends one of the best TV shows ever.
After reading the synopsis, people should want to watch the show. Therefore, it should be written in a vivid and clear language.
Example of a Synopsis of a Film
The main purpose of the film synopsis is to build the anticipation and excitement of the audience. Here is a synopsis of Joker (2019):
Joker is the story of the formation of one of the most famous and charismatic villains in the world cinematography - Joker. The plot will take viewers to the 1980s. Arthur Fleck lives in Gotham and works as a clown. However, once all his hopes are crushed, and he begins to seek solace in completely different things, simultaneously destroying himself from the inside. When Arthur realizes the illusory nature of the surrounding world, the glass of his anger overflows and falls in a real tsunami on the already restless Gotham.
Free Video Synopsis to Read
According to Walton, a gang can be defined as a group of hoodlums who confederate for mutual profit and protection. Gang life always exists and it has been found that the population of gang members grows in a daily basis. The video on ‘becoming a gang member’ shows the process through which an interested individual undergoes in order to become a gang member. For someone to become a gang member they must first survive a test they undergo. It appears to be a painful experience to the individual who is undergoing training but this makes them psychologically and physically ready to be integrated into a criminal subculture. For instance, this video depicts that an initiate is beaten by the gang members to show whether he is physically fit to become a member. The possible questions that an individual can ask himself regarding a given gang or criminal subcultures include: What are the signs exhibited by an individual who is vulnerable to becoming a gang member? How does the gang negatively affect the society? How does an individual gain after joining the gang? A careful analysis of a given gang can enable one to answer the questions about the gang...
Related Terms
Abstract
An abstract is usually a summary of the scholarly work. A lengthy research paper, a thesis, or a dissertation will contain an abstract that will help the reader understand what is the paper about. Basically, it is the same thing as the synopsis. However, the word “abstract” is widely used in academic writing only.
Outline
An outline is usually a short and well-structured plan of the composition that includes all the points that the writer is going to include in the paper. If you are a student, you probably realize the importance of the outline. As such, an outline is always written if the student wants to keep the ideas focused and organized. An outline allows not to skip the important details, as well as not to include the information that does not have any significance. The important difference between the outline and the synopsis is that the outline is usually written before writing the composition, whereas the synopsis is usually written afterward.
Submit your order
Proceed with your payment
E-mail communication with your writer
Download your synopsis to your computer
Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that if you have no idea how to write a synopsis, there are a lot of successful examples available on the web. Read these examples and learn many tips and secrets on how to turn an ordinary synopsis into a great masterpiece that will bring you the best grade. Pay attention that a good synopsis will always engage and intrigue the reader as its primary purpose is to make the audience read the whole composition. We assure you that following our suggestions, as well as examining the great synopsis examples, you will be able to polish your proficiency and create an amazing synopsis.
