The document discusses analyzing literature through the lens of a prism. It draws an analogy between Isaac Newton's experiments with optics using a prism to separate white light into a spectrum of colors, and how a prism can be used to analyze literature from different perspectives. The document presents a 2x2 matrix with real vs invented on one axis and personal vs generic on the other. It then provides examples of how different types of works featuring dragons fall into each quadrant of the matrix.