Any number of narrative elements with
symbolic significance can be classified as motifs—whether they are images, spoken or written phrases, structural or stylistic
devices, or other elements like sound, physical movement, or visual components in dramatic narratives. While it may appear interchangeable with the related concept,
theme, a general rule is that a theme is abstract and a motif is concrete. A theme is usually defined as a message, statement, or idea, while a motif is simply a detail repeated for larger symbolic meaning. In other words, a narrative motif—a detail repeated in a pattern of meaning—can produce a theme; but it can also create other narrative aspects. Nevertheless, the distinction between the two terms remains difficult to pinpoint. For instance, the term "
thematic patterning" has been used to describe the way in which "recurrent thematic concepts" are patterned to produce meaning, such as the "moralistic motifs" found throughout the stories of
One Thousand and One Nights. == See also ==