Theme and Symbolism In Literature
Theme and symbolism in literature are two areas of writing that many creative writing guides barely mention - if they mention them at all.
Why is that?
- Is it because symbolism in literature is unimportant? Or that literary themes don't matter? Nope. If you want your novel to be published, it needs a deeper layer of meaning that only symbols and themes can provide.
- Is it because theme and symbolism are things you can ignore - things that nobody will notice if they aren't there? Not if you want your novel to be the best that it can be.
- Is it because both theme and symbolism in literature are tricky concepts to pin down? Kind of, yes. But just because something isn't immediately straightforward is no excuse for ignoring it.
No, the reason that literary themes and literary symbols are tricky to pin down is that they are abstract things, not concrete ones like characters and plots.
They are elements that should be present in a well-written novel, but not particularly visible - elements that you shouldn't notice but will miss if they are absent.
With virtually every other aspect of novel writing, there are specific steps you can take to achieve your objective.
Constructing a plot, for example, is like making a house out of wood and nails. You can even step back afterwards and admire what you have made.
But theme and symbolism are not like that.
You don't "build" them so much as let them emerge from your story as you write it - though you need to give them a helping hand, of course, which is where all the articles below come in.
"Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason. They made no such demand upon those who wrote them."
- Charles Caleb Colton
Theme In Literature
What Is Theme?
Even if you think you already know the answer to this one, start with this article anyway. Incorporating a rich layer of meaning into your novel is impossible without knowing what theme is, precisely.
Why the Theme of a Story Matters
Having worked out what a theme in a novel is, the next question to answer is why is theme important? I have already mentioned this above, but this article talks about three specific things that theme will bring to your novel.
Theme in Fiction - An Important Caveat
Last but not least in this extensive look at theme in literature, a crucial warning.
Symbolism In Literature
Symbolism is actually not directly linked to theme at all. However, it has enough in common with it to share the same section on this website.
What does it have in common?
Merely the fact that both literary symbolism and literary themes are crucial aspects of a well-written novel, and yet both things, handled correctly, must nevertheless remain almost invisible - there but not there.
Confused? These articles will help...
Sowing the Seeds of Theme and Symbolism
Next up is the all-important matter of how, precisely, you are meant to handle theme and symbolism during the novel writing process.
Like I said, both things are very abstract in nature. And that, presumably, means that there aren't any concrete steps you can take to work them into your fiction.
Actually, there are some very specific steps you can take. Not only that, but they don't involve very much work at all. You've simply got to "sow the seeds" and then let the magic happen all by itself. I explain this in more detail in the article on How to Handle a Novel's Theme.
And that is all there is to say about theme and symbolism in literature. The articles in this section should give you a pretty good grounding in the subject. But I have written about it in much more depth in the Ultimate Novel Writing Guide.
