Feeling It: Melodrama on the Western Stage and Screen

3 credits · Undergraduate

This course investigates the diversity and power of melodrama, one of the most influential forms in the history of Western theatre and film. Today, “melodrama” and “melodramatic” are often used as insulting descriptions of plays, movies, and human behaviour. Yet this dismissive attitude blinds contemporary audiences to the social and political impact of melodrama’s intensely emotional language, as well as to its influence on popular genres, from action to romance to horror and beyond. After exploring definitions and conventions associated with melodrama, the class will look at theatrical and cinematic examples of three key iterations of the genre: action melodramas, romantic melodramas, and melodramas that use the genre’s conventions to expose and critique the effects of anti-Black racism. Through lectures, seminar discussion, and creative work, we will strive to understand why melodrama’s emphasis on intense and heightened feeling has proved such a durable part of artistic, social, and political landscapes. CROSSLISTED: FILM 4927.03 FORMATS: Lecture | Seminar