• About Kathy Shaidle
  • Kathy Shaidle: Donate
  • Kathy Shaidle: Privacy policy

5 Feet of Fury

Kathy Shaidle's blog. Est. 2000

Sagas of secular sanctity: Duty + class = melodrama

December 30, 2013 By Kathy Shaidle

Most melodramas require viewers to suspend disbelief. Their narratives depend on outrageous twists of fate, unlikely coincidences, and unpredictable destinies. But, like television soap operas (of which I am also a fan), it’s not the storyline that is important. It’s the moral choices that the characters make in the face of misfortune.  A popular plot device in 1930s melodramas featured a working-class heroine who makes a gut-wrenching sacrifice regarding her child in her struggle for financial security or social acceptance, often losing her child in the process. Examples include Stella Dallas, Madame X, Confession, The Sin of Madelon Claudet as well as The Secret of Madame Blanche.

More from my site

  • Geert Wilders up closeGeert Wilders up close
  • Scratch an ‘anti-racist,’ find a flag-burning Jew-hating fascistScratch an ‘anti-racist,’ find a flag-burning Jew-hating fascist
  • The Phanton announces ‘Hot Girls and Bacon’ Day!The Phanton announces ‘Hot Girls and Bacon’ Day!
  • As I was saying…As I was saying…

Filed Under: conservative blog

« Lefty Jews declare: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising guys weren’t all that great
Mark Steyn notes: ‘Stoning is making something of a comeback in the world’s legal codes’ »
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in