World literature offers countless works that explore themes about loneliness and isolation, examining their positive and negative aspects. Authors often focus on psychological perspectives of solitude and its impact on mental health or delve into one’s feelings of alienation and societal rejection. Another crucial angle is how the theme of...
Literature reflects human nature and has long been a means for exploring its complexities, particularly when it comes to the themes about love. Joys, challenges, and the transformative power of love are universal topics in world classics and contemporary works. In their article in Philosophy and Literature, Jonathan Gottschall and...
The themes about death and mortality are both haunting and captivating. Confronting the vast emptiness of death, people find themselves searching for answers to the meaning of life. Skelton (2003) suggests that, like science, literature seeks to understand life and death, offering emotional and existential meaning to our experience of...
Gender in literature refers to how writers describe and represent the roles, identities, and experiences of men, women, and non-binary individuals. While the feminist movement has long fought for women’s rights in politics, family, and work, literature often reinforces gender stereotypes. For instance, research on gender roles in literature by...
Monstrosity is a commonly used symbol in folklore, ancient epics, and modern fiction. Monsters in literature often represent our hidden fears, moral dilemmas, or the unknown. The Creature in Frankenstein, Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis, and other examples of monster symbolism in literature challenge our understanding of seemingly ordinary things...
The theme of revenge is often presented in literature as a driving force for characters and plot. Although initially, we might perceive it as a human desire for justice, there are way more complex psychological and moral issues. According to Daniel Hack’s article published in Victorian Studies, while revenge is...
Themes about money are very prominent in American and world literature. Countless writers have explored whether money is the root of all evil, often coming to contradictory conclusions. In literary works, themes of money and greed frequently coexist alongside corruption. Yet, despite the negative connotations, money remains profoundly connected to...
Have you ever asked yourself why some books are so compelling that you keep thinking about them even after you have finished reading? Well, of course, it can be because of a unique plotline or complex characters. However, most of the time, it is the theme that compels you. A...
The American Dream theme encompasses crucial values, such as freedom, democracy, equal rights, and personal happiness. Even though the concept doesn’t have a fixed definition, it can be grasped through the works of American authors. In American Literature and the Dream, Frederic Carpenter argues that American literature is so distinct...