1. Discovering the theme of literary works
Adapted from Perrine’s Literature Sound and Sense

2. Literary fiction vs. commercial fiction
Solely to entertain
Takes us away from the real world
Shows us how the world should be
Reinforces our stereotypes about the world
Has a moral/ending that confirms the conventional views of the world
Makes us think
Pushes us deeply into the real world in order to show us something
Shows us how the world really is
Makes us question our beliefs/observations about the world
Has a theme

3. Works can fall anywhere on this scale
COMMERICIAL
LITERARY
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
Romance novels

4. How to discover the theme . . .
Theme: a controlling idea or central purpose of the work; the author’s message to the reader. It is stated in a complete sentence and gives insight into human condition.

5. 1. Theme must always be in a complete sentence
“The danger of jealousy” cannot be a theme– you must convert it into a complete sentence.
“Jealousy has many dangers.”

6. 2. The theme should be stated as a generalization about life
1. Do not use the names of characters.
2. It needs to be a general statement.

7. 3. Do not make the generalization larger than is justified by the terms of the story.
Terms like every, all, and always should be used very sparingly.
Try to phrase it in subjective language
A possible theme for Romeo and Juliet may be:
“When families battle, innocent members MAY suffer.”
We only know that two families battled and their children suffered.

8. 4. Remember that theme is the central and unifying concept of a story.
Theme must take into account what happens inside the story, not our own experience.
Theme should not be contradicted by any events in the work.

9. 5. There is no one correct way of stating a theme

10. 6. Theme should not be a cliché.
Do not try to reduce the theme of literary fiction to a saying we have heard all of our lives.
“You cannot judge a book by its cover,” is NOT an acceptable theme.