Curiosity to Obsession

            Growing up I came from a southern white background. I wasn’t exposed to many cultures. I experienced an increase of cultural knowledge through my own interactions and relationships with people of different backgrounds. In high-school, I met my best friend today whose parents are from India. Throughout our relationship I came to learn more about her culture, religion, and generally just her way of life. What I mean by way of life are things like no shoes in the house, no eating meat and the fact that success in school and sports are valued highest in her family. As I visited her house and became more comfortable with her family I began to watch Indian melodramas with them. I was immediately fascinated by the intensity of the characters and the twists within the plot such as the male protagonist marrying the beautiful rich girl while having a secret love affair with the ugly servant girl. The changes in the storyline were unlike anything I had ever seen before. This was the first introduction to the world of telenovelas I had.

            From here, I have only had a growing interest in the world of melodramas/telenovelas. I watched the common netflix series called “Jane the Virgin” which I recently found out is not actually considered a telenovela. I fell in love with the series and the hispanic culture that the story was based around. I enjoyed the crazy plot structure between Petra the crazy wife, Rafael the sperm contributor, and Jane the accidentally inseminated virgin. The intensity and overwhelming nature of these types of stories is so encapsulating. It almost drives you to insanity wanting to see the next episode and find out what the story holds next.

Beyond just my own past experience with telenovelas, I have a desire to see more, specifically Colombian telenovelas. My boyfriend’s mother is from Colombia and his father is from Mexico so they watch a variety of different telenovelas in their house. Being at their house, we occasionally watch Spanish movies, commercials, and telenovelas. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a full episode there simply because they generally choose english movies due to my lack of ability to speak spanish. Nonetheless, I have a strong interest in assimilating myself into the latino culture. 

I signed up for this class in hopes of learning more about the creation and history of telenovelas as well as getting the opportunity to watch some. I have been completely shocked by the huge variety of telenovelas that exist. When I came into this course, I was under the impression that all spanish telenovelas were the same. I had no clue that there were specific characteristics and storylines that originate from various different countries. Throughout this course I’m hoping to be able to identify the commonalities between telenovelas from different countries. 

Even in just the short time I’ve been in class, I have been really moved by the immense power these stories hold. The actors/actresses can easily sell you a story that you’ll believe, no matter how nonrealistic it may seem. The emotions you see feel so original and real. The overdramatized nature of telenovelas is exactly what makes them sell. Initially, there is an urge to laugh at the overacting but then you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, ten consecutive episodes in waiting to find out does the stepmother really get away with paralyzing her daughter-in-law. I have been very surprised by the kind of grip these different types of telenovelas have on me and my attention. This speaks so much simply because I find myself intrigued simply by the three minute trailer. 

Telenovelas in one word are simply unpredictable. They encapsulate the body, mind, and soul for sixty minutes. Telenovelas are significantly underrated in my opinion.