Theme in Writing

Study Great Literary Themes using Online Video

With this topic, you'll examine great literary themes to enhance both your reading skills and appreciation of literature. Use our 4 online educational video titles to examine great literary themes in this four-part series designed to enhance both reading skills and an appreciation of literature. Listen to condensed readings of four works by American authors Stephen Crane, Jack London, Washington Irving, and Mark Twain. Learn how themes emerge in stories and study how they correspond to the human condition.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain insight to the concept of "universal" themes and learn how to recognize a theme as it relates both to a specific story and an individual's own life.
• Examine the theme of bravery in a condensed version of Stephen Crane's classic novel 'The Red Badge of Courage'.
• Examine the theme of the human struggle against nature, or survival, in a condensed version of Jack London's classic short story 'To Build a Fire'.
• Examine the theme of the passage of time in a condensed version of Washington Irving's classic short story 'Rip Van Winkle'.
• Examine the themes of honesty and dishonesty in a condensed version of Mark Twain's classic short story 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County'.

• Literature > The Writing Series > Great Themes From The Classics
• The Red Badge of Courage (Runtime: 16:02)
• To Build a Fire (Runtime: 16:57)
• Rip Van Winkle and The Passage of Time (Runtime: 14:06)
• Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (Runtime: 11:52)