What is a Literary Theme?

A literary theme (or "theme" for short) in the LTO is any topic of interest that is featured in a story (For a more scholarly discussion see [1]). Themes may sometimes be adequately understood on a suitable level of generalization by a single word or short phrase, as is illustrated by such garden-variety themes as courage, crime and coming of age. These examples happen to be value-neutral abstractions. Themes may just as well take the form of morally charged messages, such as ignorance is bliss and be wary of strangers. Themes may also represent more complex ideas to which the short name is a best-effort guide, but for which we must read a longer definition in order to fully understand.

Take the above mentioned theme be wary of strangers as an example. It is defined as "The idea that we ought better be cautious around outsiders we do not know, is expressly stated or pointedly illustrated.". This should convey a sense of the level of clarity that is required of a theme definition. We explore annotating a version of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood with this theme below.

While there are no strict rules for what makes a good theme, we do have a few rules of thumb:

• Good themes are topics that are featured significantly in various different stories.
• Don't waste time including uninteresting minor themes but feel free to include what interests you.
• Prefer to use themes that are already defined.
• Don't introduce themes that are specific to a particular fictional universe; generalize them instead.
• Look for themes that are obvious and seem uncontroversial.
• Look for themes that expose our human nature through the stories we tell.

Such themes as the desire for vengeance, the horrors of war, faith vs. reason, and what if I underwent a physical metamorphosis are examples of good themes that pop up in many different stories.