Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "theme-resonance"
Themes In Stories
Do you have favourite themes for stories?
I think mostly this is an unconscious thing. I know I like to see justice done, to name one example of a theme, so this is one reason why I love the classic fairytales, where it generally is done.
I also like crime novels where justice is done. (It is one reason why I love the Agatha Christie books).I don’t like the ones where justice is perverted.
But I pick the fairytale or crime novel to read based on what I can read of the plot outline and then decide whether it is for me or not. It is funny though how favourite themes do come out time and again in what I choose to read.
As for themes I like to write to, I do like the character who turns out to be more than what others expected.
Again I’ve got fairytales to thank for that one, especially The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christen Andersen. It is a good lesson in not judging by appearances, another theme I love reading about/writing for.
The best stories do have timeless themes behind them. Writers will always have something to say about these things. These themes will always have resonance with readers.
Certain things about us as a species will not change which is why these themes resonate and why they make such great stories.
I think mostly this is an unconscious thing. I know I like to see justice done, to name one example of a theme, so this is one reason why I love the classic fairytales, where it generally is done.
I also like crime novels where justice is done. (It is one reason why I love the Agatha Christie books).I don’t like the ones where justice is perverted.
But I pick the fairytale or crime novel to read based on what I can read of the plot outline and then decide whether it is for me or not. It is funny though how favourite themes do come out time and again in what I choose to read.
As for themes I like to write to, I do like the character who turns out to be more than what others expected.
Again I’ve got fairytales to thank for that one, especially The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christen Andersen. It is a good lesson in not judging by appearances, another theme I love reading about/writing for.
The best stories do have timeless themes behind them. Writers will always have something to say about these things. These themes will always have resonance with readers.
Certain things about us as a species will not change which is why these themes resonate and why they make such great stories.
