02   MW4  CAC   73198   BUCKLEY  MU-112

What is Melodrama?

This course will examine the origins, rise, and expansion of melodrama, the pre-eminent genre of modern life.  In addition to exploring the melodrama’s radical roots in 18th-century theatrical and political history, we’ll investigate its spectacular metamorphosis in the emergent mass culture of the early 19th century, its profound influence on other literary forms and genres, its participation in the articulation and negotation of social and political issues, and its contribution to the birth of cinema.   In addition to reading a whole series of melodramas—none of whose authors is well-known—we’ll take a look at contemporary newspapers, political documents, poems, plays of other sorts, novels, magazines, and early films.