Questions

1. How would you understand Linda Williams notion that "Melodrama is often referred to as occupying the childhood of the nation, or, as in the case of James, the childhood of individual readers and viewers" (14)?

2. Are any of the "five features" (27) of melodrama mentioned by Williams are present in Mickey's Mellerdrammer?

3. Linda Williams says that "race and ethnicity represent a primary and enduring moral dilemma of American culture." (43) Are melodramas related to racial issues any different from the ones that don't involve such theme? Do they have more importance and influence on modern society?