The Surprising Depth of Telenovelas

The topic of this course stuck out to me as I was considering FYO topics at the beginning of this semester. In the current COVID-19 state of the world right now, many people have stayed indoors and found more time and opportunities for online entertainment through television, movies, etc. 

I found the topic of telenovelas interesting because growing up partly in a Spanish-speaking household half the time and a non-Spanish speaking household for the other half, I would see various telenovelas airing on networks like Telemundo and Univision but I never really got interested in them. So, I decided that I wanted to take the chance and appreciate something that I never really considered much growing up: telenovelas. 

I always enjoy a good show with a decent amount of drama but full “drama” tv shows are a genre that I have not really had much history with. I especially do not have much experience with shows that aren’t in English, so telenovelas are a genre that people wouldn’t typically think I would be interested in. It’s true, telenovelas would typically be one of the last things I would choose to watch. However, taking a chance and listening to the lectures of the course has piqued my interest in the genre way more than I ever thought possible. 

The most interesting part of the course so far has been the discussion of the Cinderella archetype and the various iterations of it over the history of telenovelas. We’ve seen instances where they are depicted as pure such as Simplemente Maria as well as instances where this archetype is broken away from such as Patria Mía’s character in Cosita Rica revealing that this type of love story just isn’t realistic. This discussion over archetypes has helped me to realize that not all telenovelas are created equal, with some even using their shows to progress the societal norms of ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

I don’t have a definite telenovela that I want to study in mind quite yet, but the one is choose will hopefully include several unexpected plot twists and unconventional storylines (I’m a sucker for shows that try and mix up traditional stereotypes). However, I really look forward to discussing and watching more of these telenovelas throughout the class since the introduction has been great thus far!