Theme and Idea

The theme of a literary work is the represented aspect of life. L.V. Borisova believes that the theme of a story is the main area of interest treated in it [3, p. 80]. As literary works commonly have human characters for the subject of depiction, V.B. Sosnovskaya states that the theme of a literary work may be understood as an interaction of human characters under certain circumstances, such as some social or psychological conflict [5, p. 37].

A writer may depict the same theme from different angles. The same theme may also be differently developed and integrated with other themes in different works. Within a single work the basic theme may interlace with rival themes and their relationship may be very complex. The theme of a literary work can be easily understood from the plot (the surface layer) of the work [5, p. 37].

Even a well-written paragraph has the theme or topic. The topic of the passage is usually stated in the first sentence, although other positions are also possible. Read the following paragraph:

The family heard the siren warning them that the tornado was coming. They hurried to the cellar. The roar of the tornado was deafening, and the children started crying. Suddenly it was silent. They waited awhile before they went outside to survey the damage.

In the preceding paragraph, the topic – tornado – is stated in the first sentence. In the following paragraph, the main topic is stated in the last sentence:

The family hurried to the cellar and waited. First, they heard the pounding of the hailstones. The wind became deafening, and the children started crying. Suddenly it was silent. They waited awhile before they ventured outside to see the damage the tornado had done.

Sometimes the topic is not stated in the passage at all but is implied, as in the following passage:

The sky became dark and threatening. A funnel of dust began forming in the air and soon reached down to touch the ground. Debris was seen swirling around as everything was swallowed up, twisted, and then dropped.

Although “tornado” is not mentioned in the passage, it has been implied by the description (“a funnel of dust… in the air,” “debris… swirling,” “twisted”). [18]

According to the number of topics or themes presented in emotive prose, literary works are divided into: short stories (which have one theme and one main character) and novels (which have a leading theme and rival sub-theme, as well as many characters).

In the process of developing the theme the author expresses the idea of a literary work. It is the underlying thought of deductive character and emotional attitude transmitted to the reader by the whole poetic structure of the literary text [5, p. 37]. The most important idea is the message of the literary work [3, p. 61]. It is generally expressed implicitly, i.e. indirectly, and can be conveyed by different techniques, such as:

· parallelism (e.g. parallel actions of the dream and reality, or parallel events which begin and end a story);

· contrast (between the protagonist characters, the impression they try to produce and the impression they actually produce, etc.);

· recurrence (or repetition) of events or situation;

· poetic detail;

· symbols;

· arrangements of plot structure, etc. [3, p. 81].

When a poetic detail is repeated several times and is associated with a broader concept than the original, it develops into a symbol, which is a metaphoric expression of the concept it stands for [3, p. 83].

Plot

Plot is a sequence of interlinked events in which the characters are involved, the theme and the idea revealed [3, p. 10; 5, p. 39]. The plot of any story involves character and conflict, which imply each other. Conflict in fiction is the opposition (or struggle) between forces or characters [3, p. 11].

L.V. Borisova [3] classified conflicts into external and internal.

Different types of external conflicts are usually termed in the following way:

1. Man against man (when the plot is based on the opposition between two or more people);

2. Man against nature (the sea, the desert, the frozen North or wild beasts);

3. Man against society or man against the Establishment;

4. The conflict between two different sets of values

Internal conflicts, often termed “man against himself”, take place within one character. They are localized in the character’s inner world and are rendered through his thoughts, feelings, intellectual process, etc.

The plot of a literary work may be based on several conflicts of different types, and may involve both an external and an internal conflict [3, p. 11]. Accordingly short stories are subdivided into: a plot (or action) short story and a psychological (or character) short story (i.e. the conflict of the inner world).

The events of the plot are usually set in particular place and time, which are called the setting. In some stories (novels) the setting is scarcely noticeable, in others it plays a very important role. L.V. Borisova determines the following functions of the setting [3, p. 12]:

1. helping to evoke the necessary atmosphere (or mood), appropriate to the general intentions of the story;

2. reinforcing characterization by either paralleling or contrasting the actions;

3. reflecting the inner state of a character;

4. placing the character in a recognizable realistic environment (by including geographical names and allusions to historical events);

5. revealing certain features of the character (especially when his domestic interior is described);

6. becoming the chief antagonist whom the character must overcome.

The setting may perform one or several functions simultaneously. Characters, actions, conflict and setting work together to accomplish the author’s purpose [3, p. 13].

Each and every event that represents the gist of the plot has a beginning, a development and an end. The plot, accordingly, consists of exposition, story, climax and denouement [5, p. 39].

· The exposition or introduction [завязка] contains the necessary preliminaries to the action, such as the setting and the subject of the action; it also may point out the circumstances that will influence the development of the action.

· The story [5, p. 39] or complications [3, p.13] [развитие] is that part of the plot which represents the beginning of the collision and the collision itself, i.e. the development of events.

· The climax [кульминация] is the highest point of the action.

· The denouement [развязка] is the event or events that bring the action to an end, when everything is explained.

Novels may have two more components of plot structure: the prologue (facts from beyond the past of the story) and the epilogue (additional facts about the future of the characters if it is not made clear enough in the denouement) [3, p. 14].

The sequence of the plot elements may be different. Thus a literary work may begin straight with the action (the conflict) without any exposition, or a story may have no denouement, which invites the reader to reflect the circumstances and imagine the outcome of all the events himself [3, p. 14]. Accordingly, there are two types of plot structure [3, p. 40]:

1. A work of narrative prose that has all the elements mentioned above has a closed plot structure