novel/story review

Checklist: WRITING ABOUT THEME

The theme of a story is whatever general insight or “take

-

away” point the story

reveals. It’s what it leaves you thinking about.

In literary fiction, a theme is often subtle. It’s rarely openly stated. It’s not obvious.

That’s what makes the short story “art.”

A theme is a phrase or a full se

ntence that identifies a topic or an issue and takes a

stand about it. S

o, for example,

patriotism

is not a theme,

but

true

patriotism shows in

actions, not words

might be.

There’s a “

what about” phrase that defines more about the

topic in

a well

-

identifie

d theme.

A theme may emerge by a conjunction of opposites.

The title of

Jackson’s

The Lottery

lures us with the promise of sudden wealth, but the reality of the story has more

to do

with how cruel and insensitive social practices can come to seem normal.

To locate a theme when reading, circle the most important ideas that emerge.

Afterwards, look through your annotations and try to combine these ideas into phrases.

When reading a story, l

ist as

many possible themes as you can

–

there’s often more

than one, or one that “morphs” into another, larger point by the end of the story.

Sometimes, a theme like “the loss of innocence”

is automatically tied to

a coming

-

of

-

age story

but it can be more complicated

. In

The Hunger Games

, for example, the story

of a how a teenager grows up

, acquires necessary ch

aracteristics

and matures

in order to

fulfill

the role demanded of her by circumstances is imbedded in the larger plot.

When writing about theme:

·

R

elate particular details of t

he story to the theme you have spelled

out. Consider

plot details, dialogue, setting, point of view, title

—

any elements that point to the

idea or theme you sense is present in the work.

·

Check whether all the elements of the story fit your thesis.

·

Have yo

u missed an important aspect of the story? Or, have you chosen to focus

on a secondary idea, overlooking the central one?

·

If necessary, rework your thesis until it applies to every element in the story.

For the meaning of the story, we must look to elements beyond the plot. A theme

aims for a deeper and more comprehensive vision.

Checklist: WRITING ABOUT THEME

The theme of a story is whatever general insight or “take-away” point the story

reveals. It’s what it leaves you thinking about.

In literary fiction, a theme is often subtle. It’s rarely openly stated. It’s not obvious.

That’s what makes the short story “art.”

A theme is a phrase or a full sentence that identifies a topic or an issue and takes a

stand about it. So, for example, patriotism is not a theme, but true patriotism shows in

actions, not words might be. There’s a “what about” phrase that defines more about the

topic in a well-identified theme.

A theme may emerge by a conjunction of opposites. The title of Jackson’s The Lottery

lures us with the promise of sudden wealth, but the reality of the story has more to do

with how cruel and insensitive social practices can come to seem normal.

To locate a theme when reading, circle the most important ideas that emerge.

Afterwards, look through your annotations and try to combine these ideas into phrases.

When reading a story, list as many possible themes as you can – there’s often more

than one, or one that “morphs” into another, larger point by the end of the story.

Sometimes, a theme like “the loss of innocence” is automatically tied to a coming-of-

age story but it can be more complicated. In The Hunger Games, for example, the story

of a how a teenager grows up, acquires necessary characteristics and matures in order to

fulfill the role demanded of her by circumstances is imbedded in the larger plot.

When writing about theme:

 Relate particular details of the story to the theme you have spelled out. Consider

plot details, dialogue, setting, point of view, title— any elements that point to the

idea or theme you sense is present in the work.

 Check whether all the elements of the story fit your thesis.

 Have you missed an important aspect of the story? Or, have you chosen to focus

on a secondary idea, overlooking the central one?

 If necessary, rework your thesis until it applies to every element in the story.

For the meaning of the story, we must look to elements beyond the plot. A theme

aims for a deeper and more comprehensive vision.