This is a class blog run by Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru and her students in the First Year Odyssey Seminar "More than Melodramas: Telenovelas"

Telenovelas-FYOS-2014

Telenovelas-FYOS-2014

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Telenovelas- A 'Not-So-Spanish Soap Opera'

When I originally signed up for this class, it was merely out of necessity. I put off taking an FYOS course simply because I did not want to take another class that, in my opinion, seemed pointless after having to take so many of them in high school. Needless to say, I had no idea what the name of the course even was aside from the fact that it was an FYOS. When I arrived to class the first day and discovered that I would be taking a course concerning what I concluded as a 'Spanish soap opera', I was not very enthusiastic. These were the sort of shows that my brother and I would briefly joke about as we flipped channels and passed over one that was playing a telenovela. 

Now I know that my views were both ignorant and hypocritical. In the past three weeks, I have learned many different aspects concerning telenovelas- from specific themes and story lines to the cultures surrounding them. Many telenovelas even follow a basic 'Cinderella' theme-one that I have loved for years-where some damsel in distress gets her prince charming, despite all obstacles, and lives happily ever after. I have also discovered that getting hooked on a telenovela is no different from the way one gets hooked on a specific TV show. I dare not say how many hours I have wasted with my nose in front of a TV watching endless episodes of some Netflix drama, and I am sure that, once hooked on telenovelas, I will be wasting many more. 

I am intrigued by this concept of a telenovela- a concept very new to me. Thus, I have retracted my previous remarks about this 'not-so-Spanish soap opera'. I am looking forward to learning more and more about the telenovela and its mysterious attraction. 

2 comments:

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  2. I love how blunt you are with your opinions. I too put off taking an FYOS and decided to take this course because of the time slot and the fact it was only half a semester. However, once I arrived and I started my telenovela, Grey's Anatomy was pushed to the side to make room for Una Maid en Manhattan. Now the class has become my favorite class I have taken thus far.

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