FTVMS 101 - Notes - Week 3 Melodrama

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the main characteristics of melodrama

Sexual repression

self sacrifice

Family honour, codes, conscience

stereotypes

Fear of miscegenation

Flat characters

Violence on a personal level

Clear-cut gender roles

Masking of underlying issues

Unattainable desire

Emotionally loaded

Binary opposites (tolerance of contradictions within these)

Binary opposites are pairs – there are no grey areas.

Each pairing only makes sense in isolation.

Man woman

Adult child

Nature nurture

Natural unnatural

Strong weak

Intellect emotion

Chinese English

Peaceful violent

Evil innocent

Spiritual earthly