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Theme

The central idea of a text. Holman and Harmon state that “in poetry, fiction, and drama it is the abstract concept that is made concrete through representation in person, action, and image” (475). This concept, much like a thesis statement, must have a subject and an assertion. When addressing theme, just stating “technology” (subject) would not be enough — what about technology as it is represented in the text? An example could then be “technology, if not used critically, has many dangers.” Holman and Harmon provide another example: “‘Human wishes,’ is a topic or subject; the ‘vanity of human wishes’ is a theme” (476).

Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 7th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1996.