The Vitality of Literary Theme

As a writing coach and former student of English Literature, one thing I will always harp on about is the importance of a solid theme in your work. Now I have no doubt that there are authors out there who disagree with me – art in all forms is subjective – but I would argue that all of the greats, the classic stories that live on for decades and centuries, are the ones that focus on a theme with intention. While Shakespeare is a great example of everlasting, resonating themes that tap into the human condition, there are plenty of more modern examples too:

• Jules Verne
• J R R Tolkien
• Aldous Huxley
• Margaret Atwood
• Olivie Blake
• Tori Bovalino
• M L Rio
• Agustina Bazterrica
• Frances Hardinge

You’ll notice that modern here is rather expansive – in comparison to Shakespeare writing his plays from 1585-1613 these are all rather modern, even with Verne publishing in the 1800s. And there are hundreds of others I haven’t listed. Consider who your favourite authors are – what is it about those stories that have wormed their way into your soul and encapsulated your heart? Odds are the theme of the book played a big part. So what is a theme?

‘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: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In more complex stories, the central theme is typically a more open-ended exploration of some fundamental aspect of society or humanity.’ – Masterclass

The power behind a theme is how it connects to the human condition. It connects to us because it’s something we can all resonate with and get emotionally invested in. Big themes tend to get us passionate about a story, and can be polarizing – most of us have opinions about things like politics, human rights, love, death, religion – but that’s not to say every theme has to tackle a huge concept. What makes a theme effective is how it gets us to think and connect. So here are some themes that might get your wheels turning with creativity:

Do any of these themes appear in your current projects? Have any of them sparked a new idea you’d like to explore? The process of writing a book is different for every writer – frankly it’s different for each and every book, as I’m sure other authors will confirm. Whenever I get stuck on where my book needs to go, it’s pretty much always because I’ve strayed from my initial purpose. I’ve forgotten the theme of the project. When I reconnect with the theme I find myself unstuck and I can proceed.

Even if you have a different process, I encourage you to ruminate on theme. It impacts your setting, plot, main character and minor characters. It certainly shouldn’t be restricting. On the contrary it gives your readers even more to consume and think about!

One theme in my debut novel, The Bloody Maiden, is Freedom. The theme of freedom is explored through the plot and many of the characters. It means something different to each of them, and their journeys to find it all vary widely. Some achieve their goal. Others don’t. Some even learn that what they initially thought they wanted, wasn’t actually what they needed.

A story set on a desert island or up a mountain or in the desert could explore the theme of Man vs Nature, Self Preservation, or Will to Survive for example. A romance might explore Motherhood, Beauty, or Love and Sacrifice. A sci-fi novel might explore Power or the Role of Religion – there are endless possibilities!

Even if you haven’t given much active thought to the theme of your book, odds are it’s in there. Our self, our experiences, our world view permeate our writing and share a lot more of ourselves than you might realise. What you care about and feel passionate for tends to seep through. If you’ve read my work you’ve probably noticed that feminism is a strong theme in all of them. As is the power of nature. I encourage you to take some time taking your stories apart and seeing what makes them tick. There will be underlying threads throughout. And I’ll leave you with this…

‘A lot of Shakespeare’s plays deal with really big, universal themes. Things like life, love, death and betrayal. He might write about them in slightly funny language and in the context of an England that existed 400 years ago, but they’re topics that we can still relate to today. The fact we continue to identify with situations he writes about is one of the biggest reasons we still read him so widely today.’ – Oxford Scholastica

What themes do you enjoy reading or writing about?