Theme:
•The statement about views of life. •It is an abstract concept (general ideas) (particular)
Theme Versus Subject
• Subject: what a work is about. It can usually
• When you have stated the theme of a story, would you say that the theme of that particular story reinforces values you hold, or does it to some degree challenge them?
II. Difference between theme and
subject
1
2
Subject:
•The focal point of the story. •Such as fate, love, war, death, growth, racial prejudice, etc. (universal)
Instructor: Esther Lv 28th November, 2014 Week 13
Photo by Zitona - Creative Commons Attribution License /photos/zitona
Created with Haiku Deck
III. Finding the theme
How can we identify the theme of a story? • Asking questions
In other words, what specific details, characters, actions, incidents, etc, suggest the truth of the theme statement?
Today’s Agenda
—Chapter 6 Theme —The Unicorn in the Garden
Photo by 55Laney69 - Creative Commons Attribution License https:///photos/42875184@N08
society? • Is the society flawed? • If so, how?
IV. Common themes
• Questions about humans and the world • Do characters control their lives? Do
E.g. “In Beauty and the Beast, Belle learns that true beauty comes from within.” “In Beauty and the Beast, we learn through Belle and the beast that true beauty comes from within.”
Requirements for stating a theme
2. The theme is a generalization about life based on the novel and the statement of theme should be true also of other people or life situation.
III. Finding the theme
• Is the title informative? What does it mean or suggest? Did the meaning change after you read the story?
• Does the main character in any way change in the story?
Misconceptions about theme
One novel has only one theme —sub-themes to the main theme —thematic ambiguity —democratic element
Great short stories frequently have more than one themes.
• What is the theme of a novel?
• Is it the main idea or the subject matter?
I. Definition of theme
• Generally speaking, theme is defined as the central or dominating idea in a literary work.
I. Definition of theme
• Key words: • Controlling • Unifying the whole story • Idea or insight • Abstract; generalized idea
I. Definition of theme
• It can be a broad idea, message, or lesson that is conveyed by a work. The theme may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly.
Misconceptions about theme
Theme is a moral or a lesson —Be kind to your teachers —Honesty is the best policy
A theme is to enhance one’s awareness of life rather than simply to tell him how to behave.
• Do certain passages, dialogues or description seem to you to point toward the theme?
III. Finding the theme
• Do you find certain repetitions of words or of incidents highly suggestive and helpful in directing your thoughts toward a theme?
Requirements for stating a theme
1. A theme must be expressed in the form of a statement with a subject and a predicate.
E.g. Love of one’s country often inspires selfsacrifice.
Requirements for stating a theme
3. Over-generalization should be avoided. (Words like “always”, “never” ,“all” and “every” should be avoided.) Dos: —extract from a particular novel —some; sometimes; may Do not: —assumptions from your own past experience
Misconceptions about theme
Each novel has a theme; E.g. novels of horror
detective novels
Theme exists only in the novel that seriously attempts to reflect life faithfully or intends to reveal truth about life.
Requirements for stating a theme
4. The theme must account for all the major details and must not be contradicted by any details in the novel.
5. One should avoid reducing a theme to a clichéor platitude like “beauty is only skin-deep.”
Created with Haiku Deck
Contents:
• I. Definition of theme • II. Difference between theme and
subject • III. Finding the theme • IV. Common themes
Brainstorming
be expressed in one word. E.g. “Love” is a subject of Romeo and Juliet
• Theme: what the work says about the
subject. It should be a complete sentence or statement. E.g. “In Romeo and Juliet, we learn that adolescent romance can be a stronger force than family ties.”