Cornell Notes [without summary at bottom] for “Theme”
Note: the purposes of taking notes on this assignment are
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
To become intimately familiar with the content of the source
To modify our own thoughts on the topic
To create a shortened version of the source material suitable for study
To personalize the information provided in the source by making personal connections; Record your thinking about the
content – don’t just copy; A good way of doing this is to make notes that include ideas about the stories we have read
To practice note-taking in preparation for note-taking during lectures and presentations as well as during research in all
subjects
To practice using abbreviations that allow us to record ideas efficiently
a. Note: Where I have used abbreviations I give the full word the first time I use them because I want us all to
understand what is written below. You can start developing your own subject-specific abbreviations as you
create notes for yourself; One effective method is to leave out vowels people can be abbreviated to ppl.
Source: Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, by Laurence Perrine
Topic: “Theme” as presented by Laurence Perrine [with a few extra thoughts thrown in]
Cues and
Questions
Notes
Intro
Which joke has a
theme?
What is the definition?
3 parts
What is the
purpose of each
type of story in
3a?
When does
theme exist?
2 parts
What is theme
the same as?
Are all themes
about all
people?
What
determines the
length of a
theme
statement?

Two jokes – one with theme; one without
o Kiss/wife
o Boy stays late
Body of the chapter
1. Perrine’s Definition in full: The THEME of a piece of fiction is its
controlling idea or its central insight. It is the unifying
generalization about life stated or implied by the story.
2. To derive the theme of a story we must ask what its central purpose
is: what view of life it supports or what insight into life it reveals.
3. Not all stories have themes
a. Examples: horror, adventure, murder
b. Difference between escape and interpretive fiction
4. Theme exists only
a. When an author has seriously attempted to record life or
reveal a truth about it – or b. When an author has mechanically introduced some theory of
life into a story, which he uses as a unifying element and which
the story is meant to illustrate
i. [E.g. Lord of the Flies]
5. In many stories (strs), the theme is the same as what it reveals about
human character [our 4th question in determining theme: i.e. Who’s the
protagonist (prot)? What’s his or her problem? How does he or she
solve it? What does that tell us about people (human character)?]
a. May be about individuals or may be about ppl in relationships
b. Some themes are only about some ppl
c. Others are about all ppl [more or less]
6. Some themes can be stated briefly; some at greater length
a. Simple or short stry: brief theme statement
b. Longer/more complex: greater length
What is a
characteristic of
rich stories?
How will we
write a theme
statement for a
rich story?
Are stories just
there to generate
a theme
statement?
What is the
difference
between implicit
and explicit
them
statements?
Why are most
implicit? (3
reasons)
Is theme the
same as a
moral?
Why?
3 reasons
Is it best to ask
“What does this
story teach?”
What are the
differences
between
“commercial”
and “quality”
stories.
6 for
commercial and
5 for quality
7. A rich story will give several and complex insights
a. For a rich stry, to write a theme statement, we must identify the
CENTRAL insight: the one which explains the greatest
number of elements in a story and relates them to each other
b. In a good stry, theme is what gives unity [ties it all together]
8. Any good story is much more than just its theme statement
a. A story’s purpose is not just to yield up the insight
b. It is to make it come alive (to vivify it)
c. Without the story it is just a dry backbone, without flesh
9. Sometimes theme is stated directly
10. Often it is implied (the theme is implicit)
a. Purpose of a writer is to reveal life; not comment on it [i.e. not
editorialize on it in a moralizing or preachy manner]
i. If he has to be explicit ( tell the reader directly what he
is saying), he hasn’t done job of a story teller
ii. To have max impact, writer must avoid interrupting or
making remarks
iii. Doesn’t want to spoil the “fun” by explaining it [its like
explaining a joke – the joke loses its “Aha!” effect]
11. Theme is usually not a moral
a. E.g. Not a rule for how we should behave
b. Moral is too narrow
c. Not suitable for a story that reveals human character
d. Moral and lesson are best avoided in the discussion of theme
e. Examining theme is better because
i. A story’s first objective is to provide enjoyment
ii. It prevents us from oversimplifying a story
1. Prevents turning it into a platitude
a. Platitude: a dull or commonplace remark;
e.g. better late than never
b. Flat, trite, dull
iii. It gets at the writer’s purpose which is “to give us a
greater awareness and a greater understanding of life”
[isn’t this the purpose of all art?]
iv. Best to ask “What does this story reveal?” rather than
what does it teach?
12. Commercial versus Quality stories
a. Themes may be identical but more often
i. Commercial stories
1. Confirm reader’s prejudices
2. Support their opinions
3. Resonate with their feelings
4. Satisfy their wishes
5. Give us life as we wish it to be not as it is
6. Are generally widely held platitudes of life
ii. Interpretive Stories
1. Observe life
2. Question life
3. Are creations of a sensitive and independent
observer who collates all he or she has read and
observed about life
4. Are not “pretty little sentiments”
Why is it worth
considering an
author’s theme
even if we don’t
agree with it?
Is finding the
theme for a
story best
approached by
being a
bumbling idiot?
What are the
benefits of
going through
the process of
determining the
theme of a
story? (4 parts)
What are three
ways we might
approach the
process of
determining
theme?
What are the six
principles we
should keep in
mind when
developing a
theme statement
for a particular
story?
5. May reveal somber (also written sombre)truths
a. [Somber (dark, gloomy, dismal]
b. Perrine suggests there may be more
nourishment and deeper enjoyment in
understanding and responding to these
rather serious truths than in consuming a
steady diet of sugary platitudinous
escapist works)
13. Once we have read and understood the theme of a story, we do not
have to accept or agree with the theme
a. However,
i. it is worth knowing how others see the world. i.e. it can
expand our understanding of life and people
ii. There is likely to be some worthwhile insight
iii. Can appreciate the artfulness of the story
iv. We will probably enjoy it more than a shallower, less
integrated story with a theme we simply “like”
14. FINDING the THEME of a STORY
a. A delicate task!
i. Sometimes we will feel what the story is about
ii. Often, the process of stating the theme will reveal parts
of the story which we would not otherwise notice
1. Leads to a more thorough understanding
2. Tests our understanding of a story
3. Helps us see past our understanding of the
events of a story (although this is an important
first step) into what the story is about
4. Ensures we get the point [– the big “Aha!” – like
when we get a good joke – our brains “light up”;
]
iii. Sometimes the best way is to
1. Ask “In what way has the protagonist changed in
the course of the story and what, if anything, he
or she has learned?” [this is our like our four
question approach]
2. Explore what the central conflict is and what the
outcome of the conflict is.
3. Look closely at the title
b. In all cases we should keep in mind the following principles
i. The theme must be stated in a sentence; it is not enough
to say the theme is motherhood, or loyalty. These are
the subjects.
ii. A generalization about life and people.
1. Do not use the names of characters or the events
in the plot (except when you are giving examples
of how the story demonstrates the theme)
iii. But: Not too general – do not make the theme larger
than what the story shows
1. Words like every, always, all, should be used
cautiously
2. Words like some, sometimes, may are often
more accurate
What is the
subtle and main
focus of
developing
theme
statements in
grades 11 and
12?
What if our
theme statement
does not
account for all
details?
Can theme be
stated in more
than one way?
Does Perrine
think each
person can
come up with a
different valid
theme for a
story?
Does Mr.
Albright? Who
else has an
opinion on this?
What are the
problems with
clichés?
3. Only occasionally will the theme of a story be
expressible as a universal generalization
iv. ***Theme is the central and unifying concept of the
story
1. It must account for all the major details of the
story
a. ***”If we cannot explain the bearing
[relevance] of an important incident or
character on the theme, either in
exemplifying it or modifying it in some
way, it is probable that our interpretation
is partial or incomplete, that at best, we
have got hold only of a sub-theme.
b. The theme must not be contradicted by
any detail of the story.
c. The theme must not rely on supposed
facts – facts not actually stated or clearly
implied in the story.
v. There is not one correct way of stating the theme of the
story [this does not mean there are multiple themes or
central ideas, only that there are different ways of
stating the main idea
1. Good example on p. 123, para. 2
vi. The theme is not a cliché or a well-worn phrase that we
have heard all our lives. [however, a cliché that comes
to mind as an insight might be a signpost to finding the
theme]
1. Clichés are shortcuts
a. They actually stop thinking by summing
it all up rather than leading us into a
fuller exploration of the story’s meaning
b. “When the reader forces every new
[reading] experience into an old formula,
he [or she] loses the chance for a fresh
perception [about life and people].”
vii. It is not prescriptive; it doesn not say People should do
this or that.
This is the end of Perrine’s chapter on theme.