THEME The author’s central message or the central dramatic impact of the work (the main idea in a work of literature). One of the fundamental components of fiction.

1. Every literary work must have a reason for being written A writer can write about almost anything Exterior events : things that happen to people Interior events : things that happen inside a character’s head. But the above needs to be given form & significance A summary of a literary work cannot convey the full meaning of the whole work The whole meaning of a literary work can only be found in the whole work not from an abstraction. Nonfiction provide a wide range of info & ideas (tells) Literature provide imagined human experience (show)

We can described what a literary work is about by examining the subject, theme, situation & plot. In essay – can be stated in a single sentence (thesis statement / topic sentence) In literary work – look at: Subject – category (war, love, revenge). Theme – central message / dramatic impact of the work Situation – a set of circumstances with which the work begins Plot – a summary of coherent and significant action. E.g. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson A story about tradition People blindly adhere to their traditions without knowing what they are all about Sets in a typical farming community in which the residents gather for their annual lottery Events unfold in a suspenseful & significant sequence.

In some poems the stress is on the “statement,” in others, the stress is on “language and form”. Since poetry is a hybrid form that uses words & music, most poems tend to blend statement, imagery & form.

2. There is enormous variety in literary themes Some great themes have appeared frequently in our literary heritage Certain major themes have emerged in contemporary literature

3. Clarity in literature is arrived at more through description of experience than through statements of ideas Sometimes the theme is obvious & can be clearly stated Sometimes the theme is difficult to express

4. There are many degrees and kinds of significance in literary works. We have a range of a work with themes ranging from trivial to very important Good fiction, poetry or drama that leave us with a feeling that our experience has been expanded to trivial literary entertainments such as thrillers, romances and television dramas that many writers involved find such work a pleasant and profitable form of employment.