Athanasian wench- a woman who will oblige a man in any way he should imagine
A bag o' nails-someone giving a dirty, shifty look- he looks in all directions, like nails pointing everywhere in a bag
Blanket hornpipe- sexual intercourse
choaking pye or the cold pye- rolling cotton up in a tube, covering it in paper, lighting it on fire, putting it under a sleeper's nose
Theme-
theme is not something that can be said to be true without proof
the theme of a story is kind of a negotiation - we can figure out what a theme could be, we discuss or prove what a theme could be. If a theme is startlingly obvious, it's probable a MORAL and this much less enjoyable and much more a LESSON
We want to see them as much more of a richer and complex message in the work
Possibility 1
Theme comes from the author- ON PURPOSE
some stories have a kind of communication of a point or a purpose or an idea that an author wants to actively communicate-
in a way, these stories are like essays- the author makes his/her point over and over again- the story is proof for the thesis- and the theme is likely something meaningful and a larger observation about life, people, society, etc
most people think about this as theme- however- Mr Lobb's Revelation
Possibility 2
Theme comes from the author – SUBSONSCIOUSLY
-a short will reflect and reveal a writer's psychology and personality and core issues and values and so on
-whether he/she thinks about it actively or not, he/she is recording his/her thoughts and inner life is coming out in those words
-patterns emerge that reveal the core beliefs and concerns and fears and hopes, etc of a writer and by reading the work, we can begin to make sense of these things
-so in some ways, the theme could be a shadow cast by the writer
- the glimpse into the writer's mind- this is not earth shattering, surprising news
-digging into the writer's life and circumstances can help here
-rich and powerful and relies upon a certain amount of interpretation- some will say the reader puts some of this in here and that may be true – but it is no less real
Possibility 3
-theme comes from the circumstances and conditions of the writing of the work – yes, it comes from the writer, but it has MUCH to do with the situation under which the work was written
- context informs and influences the ideas and meaning in the work
-fits with Possibility 1 & 2
-books written during WWII would clearly reflect WWII and its impact
-there are concerns, issues and concepts that reveal the time period of the writing- there is a German word that captures this ZEIT(time) GEIST (ghost)
-”the spirit of the times”
Possibility 4
-theme is created by the reader getting the message that fits or interlocks with his/her beliefs,ideas,prejudices,biases,etc.
-people only see/hear what they can understand and what fits their systems
-this is a kind of egocentrism- solipsism
-when you get a message from a piece of lit, you are actually getting that message from a combination of the literature and your own interpretation – that's why I used the word negotiation -50-50 split (or whatever ratio)
- FILTERS-you cannot help but be affected by your filters
-eg age,gender, race,religion, intellect ,experience, job, parent status
-once again , proving ideas is crucial- “I think this because X,Y, Z” is needed
Possibility 5 – combination of all these
What is theme?
- maybe theme is an idea that can take away from a reading
-the subject of the story is not the theme, theme is an idea within that subject or ideas
-theme is often an observation or conclusion about humanity or something affects humanity
What are the ideas?
How do they come out in the story?
What are some observations about human nature?
What ties the story ideas together?
How are these core ideas shown or proven?
What do I take away from the story?
Can you isolate proof to show that what you think is true?
Dialectics – thesis+antithesis= synthesis- POV
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