Melodramatic Tactics - by Elaine Hadley (Hardcover)

About the Book

This pathbreaking work analyzes melodrama as not merely a theatrical genre but as a behavioral paradigm of the 19th century, manifest in the theater, in literature, and in society.

Book Synopsis

This pathbreaking work analyzes melodrama as not merely a theatrical genre but as a behavioral paradigm of the nineteenth century, manifest in the theater, in literature, and in society. It shows how the melodramatic mode reaffirmed the familial, hierarchical, and public grounds for ethical behavior and identity that characterized models of social exchange and organization.

From the Back Cover

"This is a very significant and original contribution to our understanding of melodrama per se and, more generally, of Victorian social relations and cultural representations. Moreover, it is a masterful demonstration of the kind of historical research that many in literary studies now talk of doing, but few do with such vigor and thoroughness."--Christina Crosby, Wesleyan University
"Centering her discussion around the term 'melodramatic modes, ' Hadley examines a response to the social, economic, and epistemological changes that characterized the Consolidation of market society in the nineteenth century. . . . In spite of the fact that she covers the whole of the nineteenth century and cites multiple examples, Hadley's approach is unified, fresh, and innovative. She suggests new and significant ways of looking at Victorian culture and challenging some traditional judgments."--Choice

Review Quotes

"This is a very significant and original contribution to our understanding of melodrama per se and, more generally, of Victorian social relations and cultural representations. Moreover, it is a masterful demonstration of the kind of historical research that many in literary studies now talk of doing, but few do with such vigor and thoroughness."--Christina Crosby, Wesleyan University

"Centering her discussion around the term 'melodramatic modes, ' Hadley examines a response to the social, economic, and epistemological changes that characterized the Consolidation of market society in the nineteenth century. . . . In spite of the fact that she covers the whole of the nineteenth century and cites multiple examples, Hadley's approach is unified, fresh, and innovative. She suggests new and significant ways of looking at Victorian culture and challenging some traditional judgments."--Choice

About the Author

Elaine Hadley is Assistant Professor of English and of the Humanities at the University of Chicago.