Theme What are your gut reactions to the word theme? What definitions come to mind? Let’s ask the experts. WRITE DOWN the KEY WORDS that you feel express your understanding of theme.

Oxford English Dictionary: The subject of discourse, discussion, conversation, meditation, or composition; a topic. That which is the subject

Webster’s a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation a specific and distinctive quality, characteristic, or concern

Wikipedia A theme, from Old French tesme, is a broad idea in a story or literary work, or a message or lesson conveyed by a written text. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated. The theme is different from the superficial outlay of the text; it is normally the meaning of the text on a deeper, more abstract level. Themes arise from the interplay of plot, setting, character, conflict, and tone. Deep thematic content is not required in literature; however, some readers [who?] hold that all stories inherently project some kind of outlook on life that can be taken as a theme.Old Frenchlifesocietyhuman natureplotwho?

Our Book A theme is a central message or insight revealed through a literary work. It is a generalization about people or about life that is communicated through the literary work.

Our Definition: The perception, message, or insight about life or human nature

THEMES AND GENRES The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave. It’s not teaching or preaching It’s indirect You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. You must figure out the theme yourself. The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

What is the theme of the bet? Proposed Theme____________: Evidence

Finding Theme Ask yourself what ISSUES are at hand? What issues do you think the author favors? What support do you have to display that? Theme: What message does the author want the readers to take away from the book? What is the point? IASMIASM

THE BET What drove the lawyer and the banker to make the bet in the first place? Why was the banker afraid after 15 years? What was he going to do? Why on earth didn’t the Lawyer finish out “the bet” and make 2 millions? What was the lawyer’s epiphany? What did the banker realize?

Finding Theme in the Bet Ask yourself what ISSUES are at hand in the bet? What issues do you think the author favors? What support do you have? Theme: What message does the author want the readers to take away from the book? What is the point? IASMIASM