In contemporary literary studies, a theme is the central topic a text treats. Themes can be divided into two categories:
- a work's thematic concept is what readers "think the work is about"
- its thematic statement being "what the work says about the subject".
The most common contemporary understanding of theme is an idea or
point that is central to a story, which can often be summed in a single
word (e.g. love, death, betrayal). Typical examples of themes of this
type are conflict between the individual and society; coming of age;
humans in conflict with technology; nostalgia; and the dangers of
unchecked ambition.
A theme may be exemplified by the actions, utterances, or thoughts of a
character in a novel. An example of this would be the theme loneliness
in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, wherein many of the characters seem to be lonely. It may differ from the thesis—the text's or author's implied worldview.
A story may have several themes. Themes often explore historically
common or cross-culturally recognizable ideas, such as ethical
questions, and are usually implied rather than stated explicitly. An
example of this would be whether one should live a seemingly better
life, at the price of giving up parts of one's humanity, which is a
theme in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Along with plot, character, setting, and style, theme is considered one of the components of fiction.
Determining themes in literature works.
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