>x deals with themes of y What the fuck does this even mean?

It's Sunday morning, why aren't you in church?

>>9918123
It means a certain topic is discussed.
If a character in the work is in love that doesn't mean that love is a theme of the work.
If being in love is subjected to any kind of scrutiny then we can say that the work deals with the theme of being in love.
I recommend trying to use the squishy matter that is between your ears.

>>9918123
I agree. The way we talk about literature is so fucking retarded. But it's so thoroughly fucked there's pretty much no way out.

I like criticism that breaks apart individual sentences. Criticism that looks at the way each word functions. Microcriticism. Anyone who makes blanket statements about a book as a whole is a pseud who wants the worst for you.

>>9918126
>tfw phoneposting from mass