Dear all, this is a bit of a pathetic issue that I'm having, but I have been asked to write a summary of a book that is very repetitive and quite complicated, but is nevertheless a fantastic book. It is Judith Butler's "The Psychic Life of Power", my MSc dissertation is largely based on her work and my supervisor has asked me to summarise it in 1000 words - he is definitely testing me.

I have read it twice and also read various commentaries on it, I am quite sure I understand the points that Butler is getting across, but she is a very abstract writer, who seems to be making things clearer to herself rather than to the reader. I am having total writer's block when it comes to summarizing it. I know that I am nervous of being judged on it, but it isn't even going to be formally assessed, we're just going to discuss it at my next supervision. I'm not used to writing summaries of books and don't really know where to start, I know it would be a good idea to go through it chapter by chapter then conclude but I have a feeling my supervisor wants more than that.

Any advice would really be appreciated, Natassia xx

At a guess, I would mindmap it. Write down all the ideas in the book on a sheet of paper, each in their own separate area, and then start connecting them. After a bit you'll probably have to redo it so that the ideas are easily linked (and so it makes any vague form of sense.) Then consider the layering of the arguments - what argument leads to the next? What are supporting views and what is the main view.

Once you've done that you'll hopefully have a structure and also a concept of what the central ideas of the book are. Write, then edit to size :-)