In an article on LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (MAx Ophuls, 1948), I wrote of objects in melodrama that:

In other words, as certain sorts of object circulate within a melodrama narrative, they generate associations deriving from the different contexts in which they are found. My project here is an extension of this notion. First, motifs are not confined to objects, but include other features in the films as well. Second, I am looking at the circulation and function of these motifs not just in individual films, but across Hitchcock's work overall, i.e. intertextually. Third, this intertextual context includes films (and other narratives) in general and, in some cases, I compare Hitchcock's inflections of a given motif with those typically found elsewhere. Fourth, although I would now extend my observation about circulating objects to include not just melodramas but all types of popular narrative, theories of melodrama are particularly useful in the analysis of both Hitchcock's films and the individual motifs. Motifs tend to function like ‘melodramatic elements’ within the films, and they may be analysed accordingly. A final point is that the density of meanings generated by the use of motifs varies: a given motif may possess quite striking resonances in some narratives, and seem of little interest in others. In Hitchcock, I would maintain, the associations generated are almost always remarkably rich. A few examples where he has used a motif which is relatively common in other works will help illustrate these points.