THESIS WORKSHOP The Art of Fiction

What is a Thesis? A thesis is the main claim or argument of your written work. The claim can be an opinion, a proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and- effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of an argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided. Think of your thesis as a contract with your reader.

About a Thesis Statement A thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. It usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of your work. It is perfectly alright to change your topic as you write. Therefore, you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Where to begin? Hemingway’s story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is about isolation.

How to develop a Thesis? In Hemingway’s story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” he shows us the loneliness and isolation felt by the older generation confronted with the young generation.

How to develop a Thesis? II In “A Clean, Well-lighted Place,” Hemingway shows us through the character of the Old Waiter the feelings of isolation felt by the older generation confronted with a new one, represented by the Young Waiter.

Avoid merely announcing the topic In this paper, I will discuss the relationship between fairy tales and early childhood.

Make your thesis exclusive In this paper, I will discuss the relationship between fairy tales and early childhood in Charles Dickens’s novel Great Expectations. I propose to study the presence of fairy tales and the effects of them on the psychology of the young children of the novel, particularly of Pip’s, the narrator and protagonist.