Dramatica Theory Book

Chapter 12: The Elements of Structure -- Theme (Continued)

We need to take a breather here! Much new material has been covered and it takes quite some time to assimilate. We suggest you put the book down for a while, ponder what we've just explored, have a snack, watch a program on TV, and then return once the dust has settled. If we could, we'd provide some soothing mood music right about now. Since that is a bit difficult, we'll do the next best thing - pull it all together in a simplified image.

Because each level "falls" under the one above it, we can create a "3-D" representation of the thematic chart that illustrates its nested nature:

The Dramatica Structural Model

This projection gives a good feel for how Classes, Types, Variations, and Elements relate to one another. We start at the top by loosely classifying our story's problem, then sub-divide each Class into Types. Each Type is refined into Variations and then defined in terms of its basic Elements. Remember, our purpose here is only to identify the components of theme. Later in THE ART OF STORYTELLING we will illustrate how to construct and develop your story's theme.