![]() Writers often use three literary devices in particular-known as symbol, motif, and leitwortstil-to emphasize or hint at a work's underlying themes. Instead, each reader must come to their own conclusions about what themes are at play in a given work, and each reader will likely come away with a unique thematic interpretation or understanding of the work. ![]() But even when writers do set out to investigate a particular theme, they usually don't identify that theme explicitly in the work itself. Understanding the themes of a work is vital to understanding the work's significance-which is why, for example, every LitCharts Literature Guide uses a specific set of themes to help analyze the text.Īlthough some writers set out to explore certain themes in their work before they've even begun writing, many writers begin to write without a preconceived idea of the themes they want to explore-they simply allow the themes to emerge naturally through the writing process. Therefore, when analyzing a given work, it's always possible to discuss what the work is "about" on two separate levels: the more concrete level of the plot (i.e., what literally happens in the work), as well as the more abstract level of the theme (i.e., the concepts that the work deals with). Here's how to pronounce theme: theem Identifying ThemesĮvery work of literature-whether it's an essay, a novel, a poem, or something else-has at least one theme. Oftentimes you can identify a work's themes by looking for a repeating symbol, motif, or phrase that appears again and again throughout a story, since it often signals a recurring concept or idea. Themes are almost never stated explicitly.For example, the thematic concept of a romance novel might be love, and, depending on what happens in the story, its thematic statement might be that "Love is blind," or that "You can't buy love. A work's thematic concept is the broader topic it touches upon (love, forgiveness, pain, etc.) while its thematic statement is what the work says about that topic. ![]() Themes are sometimes divided into thematic concepts and thematic statements.The same work can have multiple themes, and many different works explore the same or similar themes. For instance, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath(about a family of tenant farmers who are displaced from their land in Oklahoma) is a book whose themes might be said to include the inhumanity of capitalism, as well as the vitality and necessity of family and friendship. One key characteristic of literary themes is their universality, which is to say that themes are ideas that not only apply to the specific characters and events of a book or play, but also express broader truths about human experience that readers can apply to their own lives. What is theme? Here’s a quick and simple definition:Ī theme is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature.
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