What is the difference between the plot and summary of a novel?

The summary of a novel is a review of the important events that happened. This includes the events of the story’s plot.  When someone says the “plot” of a novel as opposed to the summary of a novel, it could be that this refers to an explication of the plot, also known as a story grammar. 

A story’s plot consists of five elements. These are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. These are terms we use for analyzing the structure of the story. They are often plotted on a graphic that looks like a line graph, starting out straight, then going up, coming to a point, going down, and then going flat again. Each section of the graph represents one of these parts of the plot. 

The exposition is the beginning of the story. This is where the story’s characters, setting, and inciting incident are introduced. The events that follow are called the rising action. This is where the story develops. The rising action leads to the climax, which is the turning point of the story and usually the most dramatic part. From the climax to the resolution is the falling action. This is where the story is being wrapped up. The resolution is the story’s ending. 

A summary is used to review the basic events of the plot. It will include the main characters and describe the setting.  The most important events that happen in the story will then be briefly described.