I feel a work of art is its entirety. Could you summarize Beethoven's 3rd in a few chords? Maybe, but think of the context you're missing out on. A novel exists

I feel a work of art is its entirety. Could you summarize Beethoven's 3rd in a few chords? Maybe, but think of the context you're missing out on. A novel exists as it is and it's more than plot. It's style and concept and form and feeling and sometimes you have to read the whole thing before you realize you got something of worth out of it. Sometimes you don't. But a summary can't possibly tell you this.