Or, can I put it this way: By "big" I mean the seriousness of the matter: the fate of humanity, or a country, or a group of people.
The scope does matter for me. My ideal thriller can start from a personal perspective, or a small angle. But in the end it should have a much broader vision and greater significance.
In his "On Sublime" Edmond Burke distinguishes two kinds of aesthetics: the sublime and the beautiful. I think I am leaning towards the sublime.
I wish I were not confusing or misleading.............