Melodrama

An Aesthetics of Impossibility

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Gay & Lesbian, Theory, Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism
Cover of the book Melodrama by Jonathan Goldberg, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jonathan Goldberg ISBN: 9780822374046
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: July 21, 2016
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Jonathan Goldberg
ISBN: 9780822374046
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: July 21, 2016
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Offering a new queer theorization of melodrama, Jonathan Goldberg explores the ways melodramatic film and literature provide an aesthetics of impossibility. Focused on the notion of what Douglas Sirk termed the "impossible situation" in melodrama, such as impasses in sexual relations that are not simply reflections of social taboo and prohibitions, Goldberg pursues films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Todd Haynes that respond to Sirk's prompt. His analysis hones in on melodrama's original definition--a form combining music and drama--as he explores the use of melodrama in Beethoven's opera Fidelio, films by Alfred Hitchcock, and fiction by Willa Cather and Patricia Highsmith, including her Ripley novels. Goldberg illuminates how music and sound provide queer ways to promote identifications that exceed the bounds of the identity categories meant to regulate social life. The interaction of musical, dramatic, and visual elements gives melodrama its indeterminacy, making it resistant to normative forms of value and a powerful tool for creating new potentials.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Offering a new queer theorization of melodrama, Jonathan Goldberg explores the ways melodramatic film and literature provide an aesthetics of impossibility. Focused on the notion of what Douglas Sirk termed the "impossible situation" in melodrama, such as impasses in sexual relations that are not simply reflections of social taboo and prohibitions, Goldberg pursues films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Todd Haynes that respond to Sirk's prompt. His analysis hones in on melodrama's original definition--a form combining music and drama--as he explores the use of melodrama in Beethoven's opera Fidelio, films by Alfred Hitchcock, and fiction by Willa Cather and Patricia Highsmith, including her Ripley novels. Goldberg illuminates how music and sound provide queer ways to promote identifications that exceed the bounds of the identity categories meant to regulate social life. The interaction of musical, dramatic, and visual elements gives melodrama its indeterminacy, making it resistant to normative forms of value and a powerful tool for creating new potentials.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Consuming Russia by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book The Plebeian Republic by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Coming through the Fire by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Cultural Marxism in Postwar Britain by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book International Environmental Policy by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book In the Shadows of the State by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Recycled Stars by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Untimely Bollywood by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Perpetual War by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book The Places of History by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Federal Criminal Law Doctrines by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Gay Latino Studies by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Public Affairs by Jonathan Goldberg
Cover of the book Capitalism, God, and a Good Cigar by Jonathan Goldberg
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy