The document discusses the concept of themes in literature, highlighting their importance in understanding stories, movies, and music. It explains that themes often convey moral lessons or universal truths about human experience and society. Additionally, it lists common literary themes and encourages readers to reflect on their experiences when interpreting them.

1. Good readers recognize themes in the books they read, movies they watch,
And music they hear.
LLiitteerraarryy TThheemmeess
TThheemmeess ccoommmmoonnllyy ffoouunndd iinn
lliitteerraattuurree

2. What is a theme?
• Themes can be found everywhere:
literature, stories, art, movies etc…
• The theme can be a moral.
• Ask yourself, “What is the story teaching?”
• Try to figure out the author’s view about
life by looking at how people behave.

3. Theme & Meaning
TThheemmee iiss tthhee……
• underlying meaning of the story,
• a universal truth, (something true for all)
• a significant ssttaatteemmeenntt the story is making
about ssoocciieettyy oorr hhuummaann nnaattuurree..

4. TThheemmee == uunniivveerrssaall ttrruutthh
The theme is usually something
everyone goes through, a statement
or a lesson about life.

5. TThheemmee......tthhee mmeeaanniinngg ooff lliiffee??
TThhee tthheemmee eexxpprreesssseess tthhee aauutthhoorr''ss
ooppiinniioonn oorr rraaiisseess aa qquueessttiioonn aabboouutt
hhuummaann nnaattuurree oorr tthhee mmeeaanniinngg ooff
hhuummaann eexxppeerriieennccee..

6. At times the author's theme
may not confirm or agree
with your own beliefs.
Even then, if skillfully written,
the work will still have a
theme that illuminates some
aspects of true human
experience.

7. The author's task is to ccoommmmuunniiccaattee oonn aa
ccoommmmoonn ggrroouunndd wwiitthh tthhee rreeaaddeerr..
AAlltthhoouugghh tthhee ppaarrttiiccuullaarrss ooff yyoouurr eexxppeerriieennccee mmaayy
bbee ddiiffffeerreenntt ffrroomm tthhee ddeettaaiillss ooff tthhee ssttoorryy,, tthhee
ggeenneerraall uunnddeerrllyyiinngg ttrruutthhss bbeehhiinndd tthhee ssttoorryy mmaayy bbee
jjuusstt tthhee ccoonnnneeccttiioonn tthhaatt bbootthh yyoouu aanndd tthhee wwrriitteerr aarree
sseeeekkiinngg..

8. An understanding of
theme is dependent
upon one's pprreevviioouuss
eexxppeerriieennccee ooff lliiffee
aanndd lliitteerraattuurree..
TTHHEE PPUURRPPOOSSEE OOFF TTHHEEMMEE
At the same time, theme
in literature can
enlarge one's
uunnddeerrssttaannddiinngg ooff
lliiffee..

9. Be aware that tthhee tthheemmee nneevveerr
ccoommpplleetteellyy eexxppllaaiinnss tthhee ssttoorryy..
IItt iiss ssiimmppllyy oonnee ooff tthhee eelleemmeennttss tthhaatt
mmaakkee uupp tthhee wwhhoollee.. SSoommee sshhoorrtt ssttoorriieess
hhaavvee sseeccoonnddaarryy tthheemmeess aass wweellll..

10. Common Literary Themes
(Themes repeated in many works)

11. 1. The quest for immortality
“Stranger, stop and cast an eye.
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you shall be,
Prepare for death and follow me.”

12. 2. The individual’s relationship and obligation
to society.
Sometimes ccaalllleedd ““mmaann vvss.. ssoocciieettyy””

13. 3. The iinnddiivviidduuaall’’ss iinnwwaarrdd jjoouurrnneeyy ttoo uunnddeerrssttaanndd
hhiimmsseellff oorr hheerrsseellff//iiddeennttiittyy..
Sometimes called “man vs.
self”

14. 4. The individual’s relationship and
obligation to the natural world.
Sometimes
called
“man
vs.
nature”

15. 5. How jjuussttiiccee and iinnjjuussttiiccee are decided

16. 6. The individual as hero; what it
means to be a hheerroo or aannttii--hheerroo..

17. 7. What it means to be a “survivor.”

18. 88.. TThhee iinnddiivviidduuaall’’ss eexxppeerriieennccee
ooff aalliieennaattiioonn,, lloonnlliinneessss aanndd
ddeessppaaiirr

19. 9. The artist’s relationship and
obligation to society.

20. 1100.. WWhhaatt ttoommoorrrrooww’’ss wwoorrlldd hhoollddss ffoorr uuss ……
aakkaa:: ““TThhee FFuuttuurree””

21. 1111.. LLoovvee::
TTooppiiccss//EEffffeeccttss
 FFrriieenndd LLoovvee
 LLoovvee ooff CCoouunnttrryy
 AAddmmiirraattiioonn
 PPoosssseessssiivveenneessss
 PPhhyyssiiccaall LLoovvee
 RRoommaannccee
 LLooggiiccaall TTyyppee LLoovvee
hhttttpp::////wwwwww..wwiinnggcclliippss..
ccoomm//mmoovviiee--cclliippss//aa--
kknniigghhttss--ttaallee//pprroovviinngg--
lloovvee
 SSeellff--cceenntteerreedd lloovvee
 GGaammee--PPllaayyiinngg
 UUnnrreeqquuiitteedd lloovvee
 GGooddllyy lloovvee
 FFaammiilliiaall lloovvee
 IInnffaattuuaattiioonn
 JJeeaalloouussyy

22. 12. Role of
Institutions
SSoommeettiimmeess
ccaalllleedd ““mmaann vvss..
tthhee iinnssttiittuuttiioonn””

23. More Themes
 Bravery: Never give up.
 Friendship: Success comes with working together.
 Greed: Family and friends are worth a ton.
 Loyalty: True friends will tell you when you’re
wrong, and they’ll never leave you.
 War: When man has suffered a loss, no one wins.
War is necessary sometimes.
 Honesty: The truth will set you free.
 Kindness: It is better to give than to receive.

24. Creativity provides many possibilities
• Think about these themes—what
would you add as an important
theme often expressed in
creative writing?
• What theme would you most like
to explore?

25. Literary themes
End of Presentation.