The Edutainment in Soap Operas
Keywords:
Cultural Studies, Media Communication, Technology, Telenovelas, Educational EntertainmentAbstract
Telenovela is a dramatic and visual genre, widely popular in Spanish-speaking countries, and with a booming audience in other countries such as United States. Despite the enormous television market, and the high media recognition for its major actors, telenovela productions have been submitted to a condescending and paternalistic criticism by many scholars, who constrain them either to be mere instruments to indoctrinate society to escape its problems and conform with its living circumstances, or to accompany the feminine leisure time and entertain the popular and working classes. Nevertheless, less reductionist critics such as Trejo Silva, Martínez Zarandona, Guerra, Martín-Barbero or Tufte have made emphasis on the transforming and educational effect of their most recent plots, focusing especially on the change generated by the evolution of characters and situations. "Por ella soy Eva" (best 2013 telenovela by Mexican Award Association TVyNovela), depicts new and less asphyxiating genre roles for women and deals, with a very critical stand, with the existing sexism in Mexican society. Through the concept of educational entertainment, this novel paves the way for a revitalizing future for a genre that for many it was simply a copy of the 19th century melodramatic and serialized novel.
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