Common "Themes" in Literature

(The central or dominant idea found in a work of literature)

1.) A character's loss of innocence

2.) A conflict between an individual’s and society’s values

3.) The quest for spiritual enlightenment

4.) The “making” of an artist

5.) Nostalgia for the past

6.) The disillusionment of adulthood

7.) The beauty of love

8.) The subjugation (or domination) of women

9.) Conflict between parents and children

10.) The clash between civilization and wilderness

11.) The evils of unchecked ambition

12.) The inevitability of fate

13.) The impact of the past on the present

14.) The conflict between humans and machines

15.) Tension between the “ideal” and the actual realms of experience

Source: John Cegielski (ARCC English Professor, retired)