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Friday Lessons with Uncle Jay
A LITERARY theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work.
The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
In simpler stories, the theme may be a moral or message.
In more complex stories, the central theme is typically a more open-ended exploration of some fundamental aspect of society or humanity.
Common themes in literature
The best literary themes explore human nature on a universal level.
It’s no surprise, then, that multiple books may share the same central idea.
Each of the following popular theme examples reveals the human condition and offers readers food for thought long after the story is finished.
The six common themes in literature are:
Good versus evil
Love
Redemption
Courage and perseverance
Coming of age
Revenge
Literary Theme 1: Good vs. Evil
The classic battle between light and dark, altruism and antagonism, the theme of good versus evil stretches beyond even Biblical times.
A story about good triumphing over evil may pit two characters directly against each other, as in J.K.
Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, or a main character against society at large, as in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
In addition, the theme of good versus evil may be explored through the external actions and dialogue of the characters, or via their internal struggle to do the right thing when faced with temptation.
Literary Theme 2: Love
Love is one of the most universal themes in literature, as in life.
In fact, the theme of love underpins many of the stories we’ve discussed so far.
Love can be a force for good that inspires people to sacrifice themselves for others, or a toxic force that drives people to madness or violence.
Different flavours of love as a literary theme include:
Forbidden love.
Yearning and disapproval collide in forbidden love stories, which often find star-crossed lovers hurtling towards a tragic fate.
Examples include “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare and “Atonement” by Ian McEwan.
Family love.
Stories about the love between parents and children or siblings often explore the costs or challenges of family loyalty.
Examples include “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner and “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.
Unrequited love.
The pain of loving someone who does not return your affection is a frequent subject in literature.
Examples include “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux and “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway.
Friendship.
The power of friendship to carry people through hard times and change them — whether for better or worse — is an especially common theme in young adult literature.
Examples include “The Body” by Stephen King (adapted into a film, “Stand By Me”) and “The Lord of the Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Literary Theme 3: Redemption
Failures or tragedies set the stage for a sad story, but it doesn’t have to end this way: in books that employ redemption as a central theme, characters see the errors of their ways and strive to right the wrongs they’ve committed, making for an uplifting tale.
Stories of redemption often involve a reformed character sacrificing his or her freedom or life.
Examples of stories that explore redemption include “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens and “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.
Literary Theme 4: Courage and Perseverance
The triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity is a hugely popular theme in literature, film, and real life.
Characters in stories about courage endure difficult circumstances or impossible odds, persevering through sheer determination, grit, and gall.
Examples of stories with courage as their central theme include “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle and “Black Hawk Down” by Mark Bowden.
Literary Theme 5: Coming of Age
Also known as a bildungsroman, a classic coming-of-age story follows one or more characters during their journey of growing up into adulthood.
These characters may experience everything from a loss of innocence, to an awakening or self-awareness before finally reaching maturity.
While coming of age stories are popular in young adult literature, they’re also common in memoirs.
Examples of books that employ coming of age as a central theme include “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, and “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.
Literary Theme 6: Revenge
A common plot in literature, the theme of revenge, sets up a conflict between one character and his or her enemies as he or she journeys to avenge wrongs done to them.
A revenge story may depict the trials a character must endure in order to achieve their vengeance — or, explore the human cost and moral dilemmas around pursuing vengeance in the first place
Examples of stories that use revenge as their central theme include “The Iliad” by Homer, “Carrie” by Stephen King, “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas, and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. — www.masterclass.com.
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