When analyzing a work of art, it is always important not only what the author wanted to say in it, but also what he did - “affected”. A writer's intention can be realized to a greater or lesser extent, but it is precisely the author’s point of view in assessing heroes, events, problems raised and should be the ultimate truth in the analysis of a literary text.
Definition of a concept
Let's figure out what are the ideas of the work. This is a term from the
theory of literature, although it can be attributed to universal art concepts. Indeed, in a broad sense, a
work of art is a painting, a sculpture, and a movie. Architectural structures, such as palaces or cathedrals, which were conceived and built not just for nothing, but according to the author’s intentions, also fall into this category. Therefore, the ideas of the work are those thoughts and feelings that each
creative person puts into his brainchild. As for literary texts, the main, main idea that concentrates all the artistic space of the book around itself belongs to the idea. This refers to both figurative, semantic, and emotionally meaningful. It turns out that the ideas of the work are what poetry, dramas, and novels are created for. It is important for the author to share his thoughts, speak out, prove his point of view.
Good examples
Let us recall one of the masterpieces of Russian and world literature of the 19th century - the novel by L. N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”. What the author said about him: he loved in the book "the thought of the people." What are the main ideas of the work? This is primarily the assertion that the people are the main asset of the country, the driving force of history, the creator of material and spiritual values. In the light of this understanding, the author develops a narrative of the epic. The main characters of “War and Peace” Tolstoy persistently leads through a series of trials, to “simplification”, to familiarization with the popular worldview, world outlook, world outlook. So, Natasha Rostova is much closer and more expensive to the writer and to us than Helen Kuragin or Julie Karagin. Natasha is far from being as beautiful as the first, and not as rich as the second. But it is precisely in this "countess", almost not speaking Russian, that there is something primordial, national, and natural that makes it related to ordinary people. And Tolstoy sincerely admires her during the dance (the episode "Visiting Uncle"), and describes it in such a way that we fall under the amazing charm of the image. The author’s idea of the work is also revealed wonderfully by the examples of the
life paths of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. Both aristocrats, who at the beginning of the novel live their own personal problems, go through - each their own - the paths of spiritual and moral quest. And they also begin to live in the interests of their country and common people.
Causality
The idea of a work of art is expressed by all its elements, the interaction and unity of all components. It can be considered a conclusion, a kind of “life lesson” that the reader makes and draws, familiarizing himself with the literary text, getting acquainted with its content, imbued with the thoughts and feelings of the author. It is important to understand that there are particles of the writer's soul not only in positive, but also in negative characters. In this regard, F. M. Dostoevsky said very well: in each of us the “ideal of Sodom” fights with the “ideal of the Madonna,” “God with the Devil,” and the battlefield of this is the human heart. Svidrigailov from Crime and Punishment is a very revealing person. A lecher, a cynic, a scoundrel, in fact - a murderer, sometimes pity, compassion and even some decency are not alien to him. And before settling his scores with life, the hero does several good deeds: he attaches children to Katerina Ivanovna, lets go of Dunya ... And Raskolnikov himself, the main person of the work, obsessed with the idea of becoming a superman, is also torn by contradictory thoughts and feelings. Dostoevsky, a man in everyday life is very difficult, reveals in the heroes different sides of his “I”. From biographical sources about the writer, we know that he played a lot at different periods of his life. Impressions of the destructive effects of this destructive passion are reflected in the novel “The Player”.
Theme and idea
It remains to analyze another important question - how the theme and idea of the work are related. In a nutshell, this is explained as follows: the topic is what the book describes, the idea is the author’s assessment and attitude to this. Let’s say Pushkin’s novel “Station Warden”. It reveals the life of the "little man" - disenfranchised, oppressed by all, but having a heart, soul, dignity and self-awareness as part of a society that looks down upon him. This is a topic. And the idea is to reveal the moral superiority of a small person with a rich inner world to those who are above him on the social ladder, but poor in soul.