The theme of the work is ... What is the theme in the literature

What is the theme of the work? This is the definition of its content. Between the theme and the idea of each literary work there is an inseparable logical connection.

What is the theme of the work?

If you raise the issue of the theme of the work, then intuitively everyone understands what it is. That only explains from his point of view.

The theme of the work is what is at the heart of this or that text. This is the basis for the most difficulties, because it is impossible to define it unambiguously. Someone thinks that the theme of the work is the problems that are described there, the so-called vital material. For example, the theme of a love relationship, war or death.

Also, the topic can be called the problems of the human nature. That is, the problem of the formation of personality, moral principles or the conflict of good and bad deeds.

Another topic may be a verbal basis. Of course, it is rare to find works about words, but this is not about this. There are texts in which the play of words comes to the fore. Suffice it to recall the work of V. Khlebnikov "The Pereverten." His verse has one feature - words in the line are read equally in both directions. But if you ask the reader what, in fact, was a verse, he is unlikely to answer something comprehensible. Since the main highlight of this work is a line that can be read from left to right, and from right to left.

The theme of the work is a multidimensional component, and scientists with regard to it put forward one or another hypothesis. If we talk about something universal, the theme of the literary work is the "foundation" of the text. That is, as Boris Tomashevsky once said: "The topic is a generalization of the basic, significant elements."

What is an idea?

If the text has a theme, then there must be an idea. The idea is the writer's intention, which pursues a certain goal, that is, what the writer wants to present to the reader.

Figuratively speaking, the theme of the work is what made the creator create the work. So to speak, the technical component. In turn, the idea is the "soul" of the work, it answers the question of why this or that creation was created.

When the author completely immerses himself in the theme of his text, he really feels it and becomes permeated with the problems of heroes, then the idea is born - the spiritual content, without which the page of the book is just a set of dashes and circles.

Learning to find

For example, you can give a short story and try to find its main theme and idea:

• The autumn rain did not bode well, especially late at night. This was known to all residents of a small town, so the houses have long since gone out. In all but one. It was an old mansion on a hill outside the city, which was used as an orphanage. In this terrible downpour on the threshold of the building, the teacher found the baby, because the house was in a terrible mess: feed, bathe, dress, and, of course, tell a fairy tale - this is the main tradition of the old orphanage. And if someone from the city knew how grateful the child who was found on the threshold would be, they would respond to a soft knock on the door, which sounded in every house, that terrible rainy evening.

In this small passage, two themes can be singled out: abandoned children and an orphanage. In fact, these are the main facts that forced the author to create the text. Then you can see that there are introductory elements: a foundling, tradition and a terrible thunderstorm, which forced all residents of the city to lock themselves in their homes and put out the light. Why does the author speak about them? These introductory descriptions will be the main idea of the passage. They can be generalized by saying that the author speaks to the problem of charity or unselfishness. In a word, he tries to convey to each reader that, regardless of the weather conditions, one must remain human.

What is the difference from the idea?

The theme has two differences. First, it determines the meaning (main content) of the text. Secondly, the topic can be revealed both in large works and in small novels. The idea, in turn, shows the main goal and task of the writer. If you look at the presented excerpt, you can say that the idea is the main message from the author to the reader.

Defining the theme of the work is not always easy, but such a skill is useful not only in literature lessons, but also in everyday life. It is with his help that you can learn to understand people and enjoy pleasant communication.