ITALIAN R5B Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Ann Radcliffe, Thesis Statement, Katabasis
21 May 2018
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#24 3/16 Friday
Possible Questions for Discussion
1. John Freccero has described katabasis as a “descent in search of understanding” (in
The Poetics of Conversion). Does the painter gain any understanding through his
descent into the morgue?
2. What parallels (or contrasts) does the text establish between portraiture and
embalming?
3. Given the myth of Arethusa and Alpheus, what might be the significance of ending the
story with the image of a river?
Writing Workshop: Introductions and Conclusions
The 3-Step Method
Step 1: First Sentence
● Semi-general statement about the work as a whole
● If you are writing about one text, its title and author should be named in this sentence
Step 2: “Bridge”
● A couple sentences that link the first statement to the thesis
● It starts to narrow your focus
Step 3: Thesis Statement
● Final sentence(s) of the intro
“In all her novels Ann Radcliffe capitalizes on the typically Gothic theme of concealment
and revelation. Placed in a ‘physical setting which corresponds to an aroused emotional state,’
Mrs. Radcliffe’s heroines wind their way through the secret passageways and labyrinths of
Gothic castles laden with mysterious persons, and they eventually gain their freedom only after
all the mysteries and hidden identities have been resolved. To carry this theme of concealment
and revelation, Mrs. Radcliffe often makes use of the veil image. With each successive novel,
her employment of this image becomes more diverse and complex – until the motif reaches
considerable sophistication in the novel of 1797, The Italian” (Broadwell 76).
Elizabeth P. Broadwell, “The Veil Image in Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian,” South Atlantic
Bulletin, vol. 40, no. 4 (1975): 76-87.
The Problem-and-Hypothesis Method (Or the Question-and-Answer Method)
● It poses a fundamental question/problem/issue that gives rise to the thesis statement
● Here, too, you start with a basic opening sentence that establishes the main topic
● Then, you formulate the “question” and use your thesis as the hypothetical response
● Your question will likely not be phrased as a question but just implied
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