Throughout the semester we have red various stories. Stories such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Narrative Of Frederick Douglas, and Lu Xun’s Diary of a Madman.
My favorite story that we have read is Hedda Gabbler. Hedda Gabbler is a story that deals with power, infidelity, neglect, “ Yes. I often longed for a third person while I was away. Oh, those hours we spent alone in railway compartments.” and death “She shot herself! Shot herself in the head!” (Ibsen, 1518.) all which as the makings of a good soap opera. Soap operas take stories and fantasies of lives and turn them into entertainment. Entertainment that is hard to turn away from. Tey are very addictive. Soap operas are made to entertain and this story did just that. It kept me interested, made me upset, and I hated it ended the way it did.
Throughout the story as I was reading I often compared Hedda the main character to Victor Newman who is a popular character on the CBS soap opera The Young and The Restless. Like Hedda, Victor is a man who has the most control, power, and leverage over a lot of the residents in Genoa City. The main difference I saw in the two was I liked Victor and Hedda is someone I was not a fan of. The control she had over others she used in her own advantage and wa very selfish about it.
I here by support any efforts to turn this story into a soap opera, and hopefully like Young and the Restless it will remain on televisions for a long time.
I agree with you on two accounts. One, Hedda Gabler is my favorite assignment this semester. Two, it is very much like a soap opera! I don't watch soap operas now, but when I was a kid my mom watched them religiously. Whether I was home from school for illness or it was summer, my mom made us watch them with her. The plot has many facets, so it is hard to choice which story line is most like a soap opera. I think Mrs. Elvsted leaving her husband is the most interesting story. She becomes a nanny and takes care of the sick mother. When the mother/ wife dies she marries the husband. Then Mrs. Elvsted realizes her husband doesn’t love her, he just uses her as a maid. So she leaves him for the bad boy, Loevborg. “I shall never go back to him!” (1477) That’s crazy stuff!
ReplyDelete