2900 Happiness - Aarhus Universitet

spørgsmålet om, hvem der skød J.R. Ewing i Dallas. Det var en cliff-hanger, der blev brugt i
slutningen af en sæson, så publikum skulle vente på forløsning, mens den næste sæson blev
produceret. 66
Soap operaen – en genredefinition i bevægelse
Som nævnt indledningsvis i dette afsnit om soap operaen som genre, så er definitionen på en genre
ikke en konstant form, men en form som kan ændre sig igennem tiden. Dette pointerer Hobson også
i sin bog Soap opera fra 2002 ”Definitions of the soap opera have changed historically as the form
has evolved. What was an adequate definition in 1982 needs to be refined to reflect the changes in
the genre which have taken place during the last twenty years.” 67
I 1982 definerede Hobson selv genren således: ”Soap opera has a specific location and core set of
characters around whose lives the main storylines are woven. There are additional characters who
may come and go and whose lives in some way touch those of the main characters. Each episode
has a number of themes and stories running through it and there is a cliffhanger at the end of the
episode to hold the audience in suspense until the next episode, and to encourage them to watch
again.” 68
Dette er definition, som er meget passende i forhold til det der indtil videre er blevet gennemgået i
dette afsnit som soap opera som genre. Det er dog en lidt vag definition, som derved kommer til at
dække over mange serier, som måske i dag ikke normalt vil opfatte som værende en soap opera.
Hobson revurderer og reformulerer i 2002 sin egen definition af soap operaen som genre fra 1982,
og i Soap Opera lyder den således: “Soap opera is a radio or television drama in series form, which
has a core set of characters and locations. It is transmitted at least three times a week, for fity-two
weeks of a year. The drama creates the illusion that life continues in the fictional world even when
viewers are not watching. The narrative progress in a linear form through peaks and troughs of
action and emotion. It is a continuous from with recurring catastasis as its dominant narrative
structure. It is based on fictional realism and explores and celebrates the domestic, personal and
everyday in all its guises. It works because the audience has intimate familiarity with the characters
66 Hobson, Dorathy: op.cit., s.13
67 ibid s.33
68 ibid
28