In literature, what is a subject?

1. An idea about the work

2. A perspective on the work

3. A topic of the particular work

4. A statement about the work

In literature, the subject is referred to as a topic which acts as a foundation for a literary work. Most of the time, this is confused with the definition of theme. The theme is the opinion expressed on the subject. So basically, both are entirely different. Hope this answers your question.