the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > distinctive element (3)
Art and Architecture. A (usually recurrent) feature of a composition, esp. a distinctive or salient one; the structural principle or dominant idea…
Literary Criticism. = motif, n. 3.
A significant or recurrent theme, esp. in a literary or cultural context; a motif.